Whale watching

WHALE WATCHING
JULY 2011
　
Welcome aboard me hearties!
Hold on to your hats folks (seriously) .We are shaken, stirred and blown to bits but taken on a exhilarating, fabulous two hour ride .The weather was picture perfect (hooray) - absolutely stunning.
We boarded the vessel ( actually named Sensational) at the Man O'War Steps near the Opera House. Our excellent young gallant crew Joel and Adam helped us all aboard , gave us safety instructions ( as on a plane) - what to do if you felt ill, a lifejacket demonstration etc .There were fifteen of us passengers on this trip a real mix of ages, nationalities and sizes. We somewhat slowly and carefully maneuvered out to sea past 'The Heads' ( yet more photo opportunities - cameras galore the whole way !) then REALLY hit the speed button .
I was not affected by seasickness or motion sickness with the high speeds, but a warning- when the boat really gets going it can be quite bumpy and very windy .Make sure you listen to the crew's instructions and advice and hang on! We were informed that the sea - very shiny and reflective and actually relatively calm - was about 4 metre high waves.Because of the design of the boat we were extremely close to the water level .
After an exuberant dash back to the Man O'War Steps we were carefully helped ashore by our crew. A marvellous thrilling time was had by all .
Note: it is a good idea to wear sensible shoes and rug up well.There is no gangplank to get on/off the vessel and no toilets or refreshments.It is a very good idea to make sure that all small portable items ( eg hats,sunglasses,cameras ) are safely stowed and/or held on to or they can get blown away.
You're aboard a very posh and expensive almost unique 1200hp eco explorer rigid inflatable with a cruising speed up to 50 knots built from 100% recyclable materials and fitted with 4 * 300HP V6 4 stroke out-board motors .Soon we sighted a pod of dolphins - so charming and playful ! Shortly afterwards yes we actually had several extremely exciting sightings of whales, their tail waves , spouting , jumping etc. Mad camera attack! Joel and Adam gave us lot of details about what to specifically look for and various weights, sizes , breathing times of whales and so on. We in our boat and two other boats close by all were going 'ooh' 'ahhh' etc.One whale in particular came very close on the port (left) side just as we were leaving.Alas I didn't get any decent photos of the whales (some people did) ) but had a terrific time.

I was not affected by seasickness or motion sickness with the high speeds, but a warning- when the boat really gets going it can be quite bumpy and very windy .Make sure you listen to the crew's instructions and advice and hang on! We were informed that the sea - very shiny and reflective and actually relatively calm - was about 4 metre high waves.Because of the design of the boat we were extremely close to the water level .
After an exuberant dash back to the Man O'War Steps we were carefully helped ashore by our crew. A marvellous thrilling time was had by all .
Note: it is a good idea to wear sensible shoes and rug up well.There is no gangplank to get on/off the vessel and no toilets or refreshments.It is a very good idea to make sure that all small portable items ( eg hats,sunglasses,cameras ) are safely stowed and/or held on to or they can get blown away.
Here's a link to their website
http://www.sensationalecotours.com.au/