A bit about heat runs (sometimes known as chasing pods or competitive pods) –with the aid of some moving pictures: The heat run of August 5 was comprised initially of nine males in pursuit of a single female. She led them on a chaotic race around the ocean, diving and surfacing with all the males battling for prime position and the right to be her mate. Its quite a violent affair, with the males smashing each other with their tails, lunging on to one another and even breaching clear of the water to land on a competitor. One by one the less dominant males drop out of the chase, often bloodied and scared. Heat runs can last for many hours, and cover great distances. Making pictures in such a maelstrom is quite the challenge. Erratic, fast-moving whales, wind and waves tossing the boat about. My skipper Ali is an absolute master of anticipating the females course and blending Dreamcatcher into the pod– dropping us in the sea in the perfect position to witness the action. Watching a heat run from the boat is pretty darn exciting. Being part of it is like no other experience on Earth.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 09:47:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015