Humpback Whale Breach 9/15/24
I was on the verge of tears today. Looking at the photos, you might assume they were tears of joy. But alas, they were tears of anguish and frustration. Let me preface my tale of woe by acknowledging how extraordinarily fortunate I am that I am able to see and photograph these magnificent creatures.
I was out on the pier for most of the morning. We had a decent lobtailing session, and the whales were often coming close, but there weren’t many great opportunities for photographs.
I had to go home for a bit to take care of some things. Not long after I got home, my photographer friend Chris messaged me that there was a whale breaching right out front. I grabbed my camera and went to my front steps. Unfortunately by then it had stopped. I stayed there and waited and watched for a while, but nothing - and messaging with Chris we had both lost sight of it. My brain kept saying "Put your shoes and jacket on and just go out there. Often when they breach, they'll do it again." But with a long list of things I needed to get done, I decided not to go back out.
A few minutes later, as I was preparing lunch I looked out the window and saw it breaching right out front. I grabbed the camera and went to my front steps. I got a few shots, but they were a bit obstructed by the light posts and sign on the railing. So I dashed across the street. Barefoot. But by then, it had stopped again. So I decided to go back inside and get my shoes and jacket on. Apparently while I was doing that, it started breaching again.
By the time I got out there, it had stopped again. It looked like it was heading north so I decided to go out on the pier. As I got out on the pier I saw it breach again on the north side, a bit further out than it had been before. I didn't get that breach, but I stopped and pointed the camera. I got the second breach. That's these photos. It didn't do it again.
It is rare for them to breach that close. And to do it over-and-over again is really special. And me stupidly not going out there when I really knew I should. I really just wanted to cry. But/and I did get a decent breach series. Just not nearly as good as if I had gone out earlier. Or, better yet - if I had never left. Sigh. Thus ends my tale of woe, wrapped in a glorious day of seeing an extraordinary sight.
