Marine Life & Conservation

First Encounter with Humpback Whales

Published

11 years ago

August 30, 2013

Photos by Chris Fallows

I couldn’t believe my ears as I heard my crew mate Owen whisper to the skipper in his quiet South African accent “See there. Humpback whales. Two of them.” I had always dreamed of seeing a humpback whale. That there might be one whale let alone two made my heart skip a beat as I scanned the horizon and located the mist from their blows in the distance. Was this really happening to me? The afternoon had already been perfect with the sun shining over False Bay, seals dashing across the ocean and a feeding Southern Right whale. This was going to be the icing on the proverbial cake if we could locate the humpback whales at close range.

In our haste we motored over with all eyes on the horizon; searching, hoping for a glimpse of the whales. Owen and I scampered up the ladder to top deck and saw the tails of two whales rising and dipping into the blue ocean. We had found them and slowly approached them for a closer look. I gripped the railing of the top deck tightly in my excitement and, face into the wind, kept my eye trained on the area where the whales had last been seen. I turned to Owen and he smiled. He turned to me, placed his hand upon my arm and told me earnestly “See here Kat. They are going to breach just now. Watch.” The two whales did just that. At the precise moment Owen finished his sentence, the two magnificent whales breached in perfect synchronicity high into the air and towards our boat. Their white bellies curved in the sunlight, their backs arched and droplets of water fell down and away from their curves as they moved and twisted through their breach. Their pectoral fins turned whilst they were air-borne and then slowly they hit the water with a loud, deep splash. They sank back into the blue. I was absolutely speechless at what had just occurred. The scene repeated in slow motion in my mind again and again as a grin spread across my face. Owen and I just couldn’t stop laughing at the perfect timing of that breach. How did he know it would happen?! That I will never understand but then he has spent a lifetime on the ocean and knows her better than I do.

We continued to observe the whales closely as they breached together twice more and breached individually right out of the water. It was spectacular and all I could manage to do was squeal in excitement and smile every time. After the whales had finished we slowly followed them across the bay. They lazily swam onwards. With each blow a rainbow formed in the air and carried itself towards us. I calmed down just enough to look at their markings; they were covered in scratches, black and white blotches and more. One of the whales had a completely black tail and the other had a tail with a white underside. This white tail whale kept leaning onto its side and exposing its belly to the other whale, a pectoral fin waving in the air. I wondered if this was a female being courted by a black tail male. The two whales slowed to a halt and slowly turned belly up and pointed their gigantic tails at one another. Our skipper switched the motors off.

There was utter silence on our boat and around us as we drifted alone but for the presence of these two ocean giants. The whales slapped their tails heavily onto the water and performed an amorous tail slapping display at one another for a number of minutes. The noise from each slap was like gunfire. It was incredibly loud, echoing across the bay and magnified the complete silence around us. As their display came to an end the white tail whale righted itself and let out a huge, deep sigh. They paired up again and slowly resumed their journey across the bay side by side.

As we drifted apart from the whales I realised just how elegant and graceful these gentle giants were. The afternoon has passed by in a flash and these whales had absolutely captivated us. It is fair to say I didn’t stop smiling all the way home. In fact I am still smiling now as I recall every precious moment that day.

Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

3 weeks ago

November 1, 2024

Shark Trust

After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7^th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

: Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter

: Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs

: Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead

: Oceanic Whitetip by ATM

: Silky Street by ScapaJoe

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29^th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26^th November until the 7^th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

Published

1 month ago

October 21, 2024

Team Scubaverse

Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20^th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.

Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.

On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.

Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.

Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”

The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.

To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.