Whales

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Skyhopping humpback whale. This 45-foot humpback whale came over to look at us in our little zodiac boat. He's about 20 feet away, coming up vertically so he can get his eye out of the water for a better look. This was not taken by a telephoto lens. After checking us out, he swam under our zodiac. We never went toward humpbacks. You aren't supposed to harass them. But sometimes, they come look at you.

Whale pod. Whales were everywhere. The circled the ship. They swam with the ship. They followed us. This humpback pod was eating krill. Read a brief whale story.

Deception Island steaming beach. Read about Deception Island whaling.

Whale vertebrae. For perspective, the skua in the picture is about seagull size.

Whale oil boat. This boat was once used to row whale oil that had been processed on Deception Island out to ships for transport to market. It was abandoned in 1931 when whaling stopped at Deception Island. It's well preserved because there are no bacteria to cause decomposition. In the background are thousands abandoned barrel staves.