The Whale Watch

One of the most memorable moments of my experience at SML was the day we went on the whale watch. Being able to go out and see live specimen right there in front of you is an incomparable experience where you are able to put a face to a species which you’ve learned about. Believe or not, most of the highlight species weren’t even whales but among those non-whale species were also a couple of whale species. Some of the species we saw included the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), the Sunfish (Mola mola), and the Longhorn Sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus). The main purpose of the trip I guess was mainly for whales however the highlight of the afternoon was seeing the rare Sunfish (Mola mola). What truly made this moment was because I had never seen a Sunfish and because we got to see it so closely. Furthermore, the whales we did see were from quite a distance and were moving too quickly to really get chance to observe them.

                               

Sunfish (Mola mola)
Overall the day was perfect on the boat and the clarity allowed us to get a full view of everything around us that included various species of bird too. Species we saw included the Storm Petrel ( Oceanites oceanicus) and Seagulls (Larinae). The day was filled with excitement and surprise.

-Philip Kuhel