Wildlife from the surface

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oldsalt
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Wildlife from the surface

Post by oldsalt »

Since I had to give up diving, I have explored the ocean and enjoyed its wildlife in other ways. I just took a trip on a charter boat out of Westport to view pelagic wildlife. I found this a great treat. In my years of working at sea, I could never stop to look at the things I saw. We primarily saw seabirds: albatross, shearwaters, skuas, fulmars, storm petrels, murres, murrelets, auklets, and much more. There were also cetaceans: humpback whales, Pacific white sided dolphin, Dalls porpoise, and harbor porpoise. Three species if pinnepeds, including an elephant seal. A couple of interesting fish: blue shark and mola mola. I could see pyrosomes down in the water column, now that I know what they are. I wonder if the mola mola feed on them as they do on jellyfish. The first picture is a blackfooted albatross, a magnificent bird with a 6 and a half foot wingspan.
Albatross
Albatross
The fork tailed storm petrel is not as spectacular, but I am amazed that such a small bird can roam the oceans and spend its life at sea.
Storm Petrel
Storm Petrel
I was pleased that I could get a recognizable picture of a blue shark.
Blue Shark
Blue Shark
While not a spectacular whale picture, you can see why whalers called them "humpbacks".
Humpback
Humpback
If spending the day offshore looking at what the ocean offers appeals to you, I recommend Westport Seabirds. Everyone involved was a professional with impressive credentials.
-Curt :rawlings:
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bradmond
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Re: Wildlife from the surface

Post by bradmond »

Thanks for sharing Curt, great pictures.
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Gdog
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Re: Wildlife from the surface

Post by Gdog »

Nice work! Love that you shared that with us
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Tom Nic
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Re: Wildlife from the surface

Post by Tom Nic »

Wow! Especially on the Blue Shark! Thanks for sharing the pics and story!
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Penopolypants
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Re: Wildlife from the surface

Post by Penopolypants »

What a great experience!
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mz53480
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Re: Wildlife from the surface

Post by mz53480 »

Very cool--thanks for sharing!
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YellowEye
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Re: Wildlife from the surface

Post by YellowEye »

Wow!! What a great set of sightings! How did they find the shark and mola mola, just sailing by or via drone?
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ScubaJess
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Re: Wildlife from the surface

Post by ScubaJess »

Soooooooo awesome!!! :)
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oldsalt
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Re: Wildlife from the surface

Post by oldsalt »

YellowEye wrote:Wow!! What a great set of sightings! How did they find the shark and mola mola, just sailing by or via drone?
The boat captain, Phil Anderson, directed the Department of Fish and Wildlife and is extremely knowledgeable about sea life. He just looked for dorsal fins.
-Curt
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