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On Monday morning we left our cruise ship with binoculars in hand and boarded the shuttle bus parked near our ship. There were always a lot of buses lined up for the different options that were available for the ship's passengers and we had to make sure we had the right one that would take us to the dock where the whale watch boat waited. There were usually someone holding a sign designating where they were headed and we found the correct bus right away. Soon we were at the dock where the "Atlandi Cat" was moored and got on board along with several dozen others. The boat was three decks tall and did not seem crowded since the people were spread among all the decks. Everyone could stand at the rail or sit in nearby deck chairs to watch for any activity in the water as we headed for the location where the whales were normally seen. There was a bit of choppy sea that morning and the ride lasted about one and one half hours. Our guide said that the back of the boat would be less rough if you were inclined to get sea sick. I was beginning to feel a little queasy and headed for the back row of seats where I could still see the water and watch for whales. The guide was a young college girl and a naturalist who was well informed in oceanography. She was a good speaker and talked to us over a hand held mike. The boat was stopped at a known whale hang-out and soon I heard the guide say excitedly, "Look at 2:00 o'clock!" when she spotted whale from her vantage point on the top deck. A whale had just swam past the boat and flipped his huge tail as he dove back under the water. Then she said, "At the back of the boat!" and everyone hurried to see that whale who had just surfaced for a few seconds. They were there and gone before I could snap any pictures but it seemed they were staying around the boat and were as interested in us as we were in them. There is a code of conduct concerning wildlife that states time spent observing them should be limited to 30 minutes, you should not get any closer than 300 feet unless the animal appoaches the vessel, you should not circle a whale or meet one head-on, but keep to the rear of the mammals when maneuvering the boat. All of this is necessary to protect the wildlife and make them feel secure when resting or feeding, as well as allowing human beings to be able to see them close up. The narrator told us that one of the whales was regularly seen around there and she knew him by his white markings. His name was Titan and he was spotted swimming just below the water's surface several times. She also said that a pod of whales usually feed in that area where we stopped and a mother and baby were seen soon after a lone one sufaced and then dove back under right next to our boat. It was very exciting to see so many of the huge mammals in one trip and I was really glad I went. We were told a sighting was not guaranteed since they were wild and do not always keep the same habits and feeding times. We lucked out on this trip and had a great time! Then it was another 90 minutes or so on the choppy ride back back to the pier but I survived and felt better when I got on dry land.
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