Sperm Whale

And this appears to have been what the orcas were stalking. They knew this big sperm whale was in the area and were following its journey. There isn't much chance that the orcas were going to attack it, but they were definitely watching with interest. The sperm whale was oxygenating itself and ready for a long dive; it can hold its breath considerably longer than the orcas can, so it was definitely going where it intended. Interestingly, whalers would count the breaths of the sperm whales because each breath roughly meant one minute underwater, so they could estimate when it would resurface.

Then finally, the tail went up as it began its dive.

Shortly after this, we headed back with a celebratory champagne. Unfortunately, a few sips into that, and I began to throw up in the Captain's Lounge and on one of the other guests' bag. That's VIP for you.Read more