Curious whale with us for an hour

Today we really did have the most incredible association with a young Minke whale.

Having already seen one larger whale we where approached by a juvenile that surfaced within a few hundred yards of Sula Beag.   Once the engines where stopped the next sighting was of the whale slowly moving under the boat!!  It then surfaced right beside us, and looking from the top deck we had a clear view of the whole animal.

The curious beast continued this behaviour for a further hour before moving away with another juvenile.  We found it hard to take photos as our lenses where filled with whale, and all aboard had the pleasure of smelling Minke breath, it really is like rotten cabbage, or spinach as one customer suggested!

We did manage to get some great photo identification shots of this whale, both sides of its dorsal fin and back, watch this space for an update on whether we have a previous identified whale, we need the help of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust to confirm.

Andy Tait also managed to get some great video footage which has been uploaded to YouTube to show you just how spectacular this association was, please CLICK HERE to watch (this will take you to the video in YouTube) 

We did also have a number of sightings of Harbour Porpoise, with one miniature calf that looked like it was still learning how to surface and breath!  First thing on our trip we also saw a Sea Eagle in full flight before landing on a cliff and watching us head out to sea.

Just cant wait to get back out there tomorrow, there was  a report of a shark in the sound, so fingers crossed folks!

James

Skipper