1 October 2024
Chasing #Rainblows

︎ Share


The sea was somewhat calm, with a gentle breeze that carried the scent of salt and promise. The light had begun its descent into that perfect time of day—golden hour—where everything takes on a warm, magical glow. We were heading straight into it, and the anticipation was thick in the air. I stood on the deck, eyes scanning the horizon, when I saw it: a huge, towering plume of mist. A blow. My heart leapt. Could it really be what I thought it was? Six, maybe seven blows, all varying in height but unmistakable in their majesty. I squinted, trying to make sense of it as it drifted across the shimmering ocean surface.

We launched the drone to get a closer look, hoping to unravel the mystery. But the angle of the light made it difficult to peer through the surface, the water reflecting the sky in a nearly impenetrable sheen. Time was running out for the drone’s battery, and just as we prepared to call it back, we spotted something. There they were... or so I thought. I noticed the drone hovering near the boat, capturing what appeared to be small dorsals, barely visible, accompanied by small, soft blows. Confusion set in—these weren’t what we were looking for. As the drone descended, we realised they were Risso’s dolphins. Amazing in their own right, these elusive creatures of the deep, but not the giants we had first glimpsed.

Still, something didn’t add up. The initial blows we saw had been too powerful, too tall. The butterflies in my stomach returned, whispering that something far bigger was waiting, just beneath the surface. I turned back to the horizon, eyes tracing the coastline. And then—blows! Massive, unmistakable, hanging in the air like exclamation points against the sky. Huge blows, several kilometres away, just lingering there.

A wave of relief washed over me. We hadn’t imagined it after all. Our reliable Seabiscuit pushed forward steadily, cutting through the water with ease, bringing us closer to the source of the spectacle.

And then, as if the ocean itself shifted to reveal its greatest secret, we saw them. Three magnificent blue whales. They weren’t dolphins at all, but the true giants of the sea, cruising silently beneath the surface. Their blows rose high into the air, catching the golden light and transforming into rainbows that towered over us. It felt like a moment out of time, as though we had been invited into an exclusive show, hidden from the world.

We followed them along the coast, our boat feeling small in their presence, as their immense bodies glided effortlessly through the water. Their footprints, the gentle circles they left on the surface, stretched at least ten metres in diameter. The glimpse of their blowholes was awe-inspiring, and their dorsals, though tiny in comparison to the rest of their bodies, seemed like subtle reminders of their immense power. Their long, smooth backs shimmered in the fading light, their blue-grey skin almost glowing against the darker water.

It was easy to understand why they barely lifted their heads or flukes out of the water—such immense weight must be a burden to move, even for creatures of their size. Yet, they swam with such elegance, such ease, that it was hard to remember their true enormity until you saw them up close.

As they swam closer, their size became almost incomprehensible. These were beings far larger than our 58-foot vessel, yet they moved with a grace that defied their bulk. Each rise and fall of their bodies was like watching an island emerge and submerge with the tide. I could hear their gentle sighs, the soft sound of their breath escaping in a cloud of mist. It was the sound of life itself, so subtle yet carrying a profound weight in the stillness of the evening sea.

With the island as a backdrop, the surreal nature of the scene hit me. Commuters onshore, wrapped in their daily routines, were entirely unaware of the grandeur passing just beyond their reach. They drove by, heads down, focused on the road ahead, oblivious to the magical encounter unfolding mere metres offshore. My heart raced, caught between a sense of wonder and disbelief. I felt small, insignificant, yet incredibly lucky to be in the presence of such wild, untamed beauty.

As the sun began its final descent, casting long shadows across the water, the whales turned toward deeper waters. Their #rainblows sparkled one last time in the golden light, and with a graceful arc, they slipped beneath the surface heading out to the deeper waters. Just like that, they were gone, leaving the ocean as calm and still as before, as if they had never been there at all.

But the moment stayed with me. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered long after the whales had vanished. It was a bewildering, humbling experience—a fleeting glimpse into the vast, mysterious world of the blue whales. While life onshore carried on, I had been given the gift of witnessing something extraordinary, something that would linger in my heart like the soft echo of their sighs, long after the sun had set.

#bluewhales #therealdeal #luckyencounters #oceanencounters #jasminecarey #pxlexplorer