A Whale of a Time!

Ship Ahoy!

As the timing was tight, we packed lunch to go and gobbled it down while on the road to our next destination - a spot of deserted beach in the middle of nowhere; well, to be precise it was a pre-arranged spot in Dunsborough, just east of the Yallingup Maze. Our boys were thrilled to see a ship offshore; and we told them that we were off on an adventure - this time on a whale watching expedition hosted by Naturaliste Charters!

Our home for the next four hours.

Sending a motor boat to fetch us from the shore.

Almost like a scene from 'Survivor"!

All ready to board.

There are a number of whale watching boat operators; however we chose the Naturaliste Charters due to their track record as well as a result of a local recommendation.

The 4yo getting ready for his adventure.

All set!

Climbing to the second storey for a better view.

A slightly apprehensive 2yo resting snugly with his Mummy.

A lovely photo with the grandparents.

No, I have not put on weight! It's the wind...

My father-in-law looking cool.

A Daddy-Son moment. The 4yo feeling a little scared due to the high speed of
the boat and the strong winds.

But he still feels secure holding on to his Daddy!

Waiting for the whales to come.

Into the horizon. The intrepid crew begin their search for the whales. It's quite an art and a science actually.

The first sighting. The creatures truly look majestic!

Splashes in the water show how close the creatures were to us!

Splash!

Up close and personal! It was truly special to see those magnificent creatures doing a "backflip".

There she goes!

A final glimpse of those lovely creatures.

And our tired little 2yo slept through it all....

The entire afternoon was a really surreal experience of a lifetime. We could almost feel the splashes of seawater from those majestic creatures.

We were anxious at the start that we would not get to see any whales, despite the fact that Naturaliste has a good track record and is #1 on TripAdvisor. The first half of our journey, we had only spotted two humpbacks from a distance. We were almost nearing the point in our journey when we had to turn back when a whole pod started breaching, lobtailing and slapping in the near horizon in synchrony.

We were reminded of how these great beasts of nature continue on their journeys, without regard to human will or intervention. It was a humbling experience.

With the aroma of saltwater in the air, and the hypnotic rocking of the boat, I know we will always remember my encounter with the beauties of the deep...

Previously: Wandering in the wooded Yallingup Maze...
Next: A whirlwind adventure in the Margaret River region...

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