Whale mural, Kapa’a, Kauai.
I grew up in Kansas, far from any ocean (though I was born within a stone’s throw of the Potomac River in Virginia), so visits to the ocean were rare, and I didn’t see a whale until I was an adult. But once I did, I was hooked. Who can resist the majesty of whales, their power and grace? I admit, I’m a landlubber, so the pull of the traveling the deep, blue sea is lost on me, but I love the creatures that live within it.
Some of my best photos of whales are of murals…I think these are all of Humpback whales. Can someone help me identify them?
Humpack whale, Kona, Hawaii.
I don’t have any good photos of a recent whale watching trip my husband and I took off of the Na Pali coast of Kauai, because my camera had to be put away in a waterproof area because of the 17-foot swells (as tall as the boat!). Also, I spent at least fifteen minutes with my face in a bucket, my first time ever being seasick, after having been on ocean-going ships dozens of times. The captain warned us that the sea would be rough, but I thought I was an old salt and wouldn’t have any problem. Wrong! Had an entire pod of whales been performing the Nutcracker Suite within feet of the boat, I wouldn’t and couldn’t have looked up from my beloved bucket.
After my stomach calmed, I did see a month-old humpback whale breaching time after time very close to the boat, it was wonderful! (Sadly, no photo.) You could tell this baby was having such a fun time.
Humpback whale, Glacier Bay, Alaska.
In addition to being in the right place to see whales, you also need to be there at the right time. One February, we watched Humpback whales off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. They winter in Hawaiian waters. Then that summer, we saw Humpback whales in Glacier Bay of Alaska, their summer feeding grounds. In January 2013, we looked for whales off of the coast of South Africa, too, but it wasn’t the right season, alas.
Whale Mural in Monterey, California.
Whale Mural in Monterey, California.
Whale Mural in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Whale Mural in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Whale Mural in Portsmouth New Hampshire.
Sadly, there are still whalers in modern times.
Whalers Museum in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.
A List and Photos of Cetaceans: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises.
“In the Heart of the Sea” film, directed by Ron Howard, scheduled for release in 2015.
Catherine Sherman 
I had a whale of a good time reading this post and admiring your photographs. Thanks for sharing, you landlubber. I grew up on the Pacific Coast. Some of my earliest memories are being out in the boat with live crabs running around my feet. 🙂
LikeLike
Fun post and great mural pics. I’m finding that I love murals, and plan on taking many more photos of them. I’ve only been on the ocean one time and it was smooth, so I’ve never experienced being seasick. Sorry you got sick. ewwww….
LikeLike
Since I’m in SoCal, we are awash in murals which make life (and being stuck on the freeway) so much more fun. When we lived in Washington state, we were on a ferry in Puget Sound when my husband went out to the deck. It was raining, so everyone was inside. It was then that a whale surfaced next to the ferry. My husband said it was one of the most magical moments ever. I only regret that I was inside drinking my Starbucks coffee.
LikeLike
Catherine, I live not too far from the ocean (east coast of Australia). During migration times we see lots of whales casually moving along the coast. It’s a spectacular sight, to be sure.
LikeLike