I have a lot to say about this trip. My friend Jess coordinated it among a few of her girlfriends, I recommended the company. It’s Dolphin Excursions based out of Waianae. It’s an hour ride out there, so my friend Caitlyn, Brian and I carpooled out there. It was a happy circumstance Brian was home for this!
So it doesn’t take long at all before we see a whale… and it’s a beautiful coastline to see (of course).
We start by seeing a couple of adults, and we see AN ADULT BREACH. It was the coolest thing (next to lava) I’ve experienced. Man, getting all that body out of the water that high? Just incredible. Mind you, the boat is rocking, and we’re moving, and we’re a bit away… so no pictures of that. But I do get a couple humps and tail flips.
But, it’s still really hard to get these things in focus… I’m moving in the boat, the whale is moving, it’s really bright so it’s hard to see… you can see where I’m going with this (excuses for blurry pics).
Next thing we get to see is a mom and baby… and the baby breaches! Not only does the baby breach, it breaches at least 4 times!!
Now, if you have ever tried capturing a whale breaching, you’ll know that A: You have NO IDEA where they’re going to breach B: You have no idea WHEN they are going to breach and C: You yourself are not stable. I cannot tell you how unbelievably hard this is for photography.
I took a lot of pictures and all of them are blurry. Disappointed in myself is an understatement. I knew I wasn’t nailing them… and so I kept trying and trying. Usually, I try to balance taking pictures and enjoying whatever activity I’m doing. Well, I definitely did not this time. It was all about the pictures…
I wish I had spent more time embracing the moment, especially after realizing just how hard it was. I guess I was kinda thinking we’d have one more good viewing opportunity, but we didn’t…
I would love love love to go again. I also got some camera setting tips from a facebook group I’m apart of (faster shutter speed… I already had it really high, but these guys go unbelievably fast)
I’m kicking myself for not getting a “perfect” picture… I’m kicking myself for not enjoying my time fully… it was an amazing experience, but I wish I handled it differently.
Fun facts: the baby’s dorsal fin is white, and they gain 1lb every 15mins.
Regardless, we had a great day out on the water. We did see a set of spinner dolphins, but obviously less of a highlight.
I really, really really want to go again. Who’s coming with me??
