The Tour Guide/Professional Photographer’s Report
(I AM DELIBERATELY USING CAPITALS TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN MY COMMENTS AND THE TOUR GUIDE’S COMMENTS) I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS REPORT IN THAT IT SEEMED TO CONCENTRATE ON PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE WHALE WATCHERS, MORE THAN THE WHALE. SO MANY PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN, BUT THE REPORT HAS ONLY 4 WHALE PHOTOS.
MIND YOU, I ALSO READ THE REPORT FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY’S TRIP, WHICH FEATURED PHRASES SUCH AS:
• A rather hot and sunny morning with fog which remains a major obstacle to whale-searching.
• A fairly strong north-east wind causing the waves to increase.
• We had to deal with the weather and seasickness.
IT CERTAINLY READS AS THOUGH I CHOSE THE BETTER DAY.
December 21, 2024
…We set off southwest on a clear morning with relatively light winds. The water was calm with few waves, but there was considerable fog obscuring our vision throughout the day.
…We spent the morning sailing over a wide area in the hope of finding at least one whale, but were disappointed by the calm sea and the fog, which were a major obstacle to finding a whale. Nevertheless, we continued to sail in every direction we could within the time we had available.
…At noon, we still had no whales. However, with some time left, we continued to sail until around the afternoon when we came across a large whale herding fish, opening its mouth underwater to eat, alternating with diving and surfacing far away at intervals, as evidenced by its strong blowing and loud noises when approaching.
…The whale was identified as Mae Sadsai, an adult female whale and one of the first whales to be identified and named a long time ago. She was therefore quite familiar with the ship and was now focusing mainly on herding and eating fish. We saw her herding fish alternately with floating and blowing at the surface for some time. And because it was a large whale, if she decided to dive, we had to wait patiently until she surfaced for air again, which took quite a while each dive. For us, given the limited time, watching the behavior of Mother Sadsai near and far, along with the powerful blowing of water droplets and sound, was enough for today.
…After a while, we had to turn around to be able to return to the pier at the appropriate time. The whale watching trip for today was over when everyone safely reached the shore and went their separate ways to return home.
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I MUST SAY, I DID NOT HEAR OUR WHALE AS STATED ABOVE, BUT THE SOUND WAS MOST LIKELY DROWNED OUT BY THE EXCITED WHALE WATCHERS ON BOARD.
WELL, THAT’S OUR LAST TRIP FOR 2024. AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE ONLY HAVE ONE TRIP PLANNED FOR 2025, WHICH IS MY RE-ARRANGED SLOW BOAT TRIP DOWN THE MEKONG FROM LAOS. I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING AT DECEMBER AGAIN i.e. I DON’T LIKE BEING HERDED LIKE CATTLE DURING HIGH SEASON (JANUARY TO APRIL), AND THEN IT RAINS. THAT LEAVES LATE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER. I’M SURE THERE WILL BE OTHER TRIPS (POSSIBLY FOOTBALL GENERATED) BEFORE DECEMBER 2025 – JUST WATCH THIS SPACE.
