whale talker

So….a good day. Another beauty, no wind at all and the sun shining. Nevertheless I had a project that superseded looking for whales. Hard to believe but true. Fortunately, I have the main part of the season to look forward to yet and two eager students arriving on the 18th who need to meet my whale friends. The project I refer to is only important to me so of little interest for any of you following this blog but let me say that it was completed and I am extremely happy with the results!

I did get out in my kayak however and was pleased to find that once again if I am patient and centered, something good will occur. Doesn’t take much when the sea is calm, the air clear and it’s just me and nature. In this case it was a California Sea Lion that may or may not be a resident here around our reef. He was just lolling (yes, this is the best word) around and I decided to see if I could get up close to him. I paddled very slowly towards him and gave off “tranquil vibes”. It worked. I got within about 20’ and then he went down. I finally got to about 10’ and we started circling each other with him on the surface exposing his side and pectoral fin. I began to laugh out loud because he was clearly watching me and we were just going round and round. I decided to go in and swam slowly towards him. I got within about 6’ and then he dove. I dove with him and for a moment we were within about 3’ of each other. Very cool! That was it, he went out further and I needed to get in to complete my project so I paddled back in to shore.

As I said before, I completed my project and am now under the palapa enjoying a day well spent. At these moments I often think of those of you who attended my Janus lectures over the years and I hope that these few words on my blog let you share my happiness.