Blue whales
They're blue, and they're whales.
They are actually grey, but they are designed with really good underwater camouflage so they sometimes look blue. So they're still called blue whales. Even though they're grey. Or gray, as some of you might spell it. Look, it's not a big deal, just come and stare at them underwater with me.
The largest animal on earth (nearly)
Say hello to the smallest sub species of the largest species ever known to mankind.
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Here in Indonesia, the pygmy blues make their annual migration to mate and give birth (actually, unlike other migratory baleen whales, the blues still have access to food sources while they are here, so they’re eating too- but let’s not get too carried away with the fun facts just yet).
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The largest known pygmy measured 27m in length (with the ‘True’ blue whale, the Antarctic Blue Whale, reaching 33m), with 4-5m flippers and calves born at around 8m in length.
Sorry, there I go again with the fun facts. Come along on the trip if you want to know more!
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Seeing one of these behemoths underwater is going to fundamentally alter your brain chemistry and maybe change your life a little bit.
notes on blue whale swims
The goal of the expedition is blue whales. Our priority is the big blues. However, we will be happily distracted by ANYTHING. If you find us a manta ray, we’re getting in. If our crew spot a pod of 300 pilot whales, we’re heading overboard. If.... you get the point.
You will notice in our itinerary, sperm whales are mentioned- we know of a residential pod who we will attempt to visit en route to Blue Whale City, so our chances of in water encounters are fairly high- around 60% to see sperm whales.
(85-90% for blue whales).
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This expedition is the most difficult of all that I run.
These whales are travelling upwards of 8 knots, so to successfully run an ethical swim, we have to predict their trajectory, race out to intercept before the whales parallel to where they are travelling, and leap into the water head first so that our entries are as smooth and splash free as possible (it sounds crazy, but you’ll understand as soon as you try it once- and don't worry, we'll practise a few times before the real deal).
Most interactions are a maximum length of sixty seconds. We get in, the whale swims gracefully past us, and we clamber gracelessly back into our zodiacs ready to try again. We usually spend about two hours at a time out on the boats in the very hot sunshine- hats, sunscreen and hydration will all be mandatory. Usually we get five or six opportunities/attempts per excursion.
Pindito holds 16 guests, and we divide you into four groups of four for these whale swims. Sometimes we alternate which boats go out, or if there are enough whales we all head out simultaneously. Regardless, this is going to tire you out. If you are concerned about this, or water entry/ exit, please chat to me before booking so we can decide if this trip is suited to you!
