Blue Whale in the Channel Islands of California
Here is today’s thinking: why not dedicate Tuesday to be a “topside” image feature on the blog? I do occasionally share images that are not diving related, but for some reason I seem to gravitate more to stuff from under the surface.
I enjoy topside photography as well, especially landscapes, wildlife, and flowers. I will admit, that despite having worked hard to master lighting while shooting underwater, I am a neophyte at flash photography in air. Maybe something to focus on (ar, ar ;^) during these long, dry spells of no diving.
Anyhoo, here to start off what could be an on-going theme – a topside picture. This was taken on a dive trip to California – one of several that I have done over the past decade. There is lots of gorgeous scenery in the Channel Islands off the west coast (they are somewhat reminiscent of the Galapagos Islands), but I’ll begin this series with an image of the biggest animal on the planet – the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus).
While not technically a great shot, I share it because it was a total thrill to see such a magnificent animal at close range. This whale can grow up to 30 metres in length (that is about 100 feet!). These huge mammals were almost hunted to extinction by the early 20th century. Thanks to conservation efforts worldwide, their population has slowly returned, but this animal is still categorized as endangered.
I’ve been fortunate to see a couple of different kinds of whales in my travels (and close to home here in British Columbia) – orcas and humpbacks. This was the only Blue I have seen thus far, and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity.
To read more about Blue Whales, you can follow this link.
