What a ride

We had planned to go whale watching by boat yesterday but the trip was cancelled due to bad weather. BUT . .

This morning . . . well as you can see . . . we had the fantastic and magical experience of a helicopter (helix [hele] wing [copter]) ride over the Pacific ocean to see Whales and Dolphins. I was doubly transported. It was like being on a magic carpet. I have been in helicopters before but never sitting right next to the pilot and always before to do with filming. To just sit there and watch was fantastic. That man has the best job in the world. And he knew it. I have (I;m sorry about this being a bit nerdy) read about helicopter flying and I was intrigued to see what the pilot was doing as much as the whales.

The sea floor drops dramatically down only about 1 km off Kaikoura to a depth of around 1Km, so the Whales can consequently come very close to shore, allowing us humans to get to see them relatively quickly. The ones we saw were sperm whales. He told us that these toothed whales can actually swallow a small shark whole! Can you believe this? They send out a very loud "click" and this wave of sound (as well as providing echo location) is so powerful that it can temorarily stun the victim and give the whale time to to accelerate into the kill.

The feeling of hanging in the air in this most improbable of machines watching the most incredible of creatures was just brilliant. I felt so calm and happy. Happy at the beauty of nature and the creative inventiveness of humans.

I just had to tell you that before I go to bed. Now I must go and get the washing.

Me
Mum
&
The World.