Hello everyone…the past few days we have been dealing with some incredibly thick fog but we have been seeing whales (we did miss a few trips due to the poor visibility). Yesterday and today we have spent time listening, finding and then watching fin whales off the Bliss Island coast but this afternoon we had an incredibly special sighting, something I have waited 14 years to see….a leatherback sea turtle!!
Leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) are the largest sea turtle in the world reaching an average length of 2 meters and more than 900 kg! They have the most hydrodynamic design of any turtle and they have 7 distinct dorsal ridges on their soft, leathery carapace. Leatherbacks are unique among reptiles as they are endothermic able to maintain an internal body temperature about 18 C above the water temperature. They are also the fastest moving reptile (recorded at 35 km/h) and one of the deepest diving marine animals (more than 1200 m). Their diet consists almost entirely of jellyfish and like all marine animals plastic marine debris is a huge conservation issue.
I only got one photo of the turtle (and I know it’s not the greatest), spent most of the time just watching with my eyes and it was a quick sighting before he dove but incredibly special for all on board. I am hoping to have more photos to share with you soon from our passengers and our Scout Boat.
leatherback sea turtle
We did have some great sightings of a fin whale this afternoon as well and I wanted to share some photos with you. Our Scout Boat was a huge help today in helping to locate this whale in the fog…Thank You John!!
Finback
Finback in the fog
Fin whale surfacing close to our Scout Boat (the Scout is 19.5 feet long)
Fin whale
Fin whale
Thank You to everyone who has chosen to join us aboard the catamaran over the past week!
Cheers,
Danielle
