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Ahoy Shipmates,
So, after we thought we had already achieved plenty for the day yesterday, last night we found another blue whale, to which the "Remora" was duly dispatched. On this occasion the crew were right on the game and within 2 minutes of launching the team achieved photo observations and a biopsy. We then spent a couple of hours attempting to tag the whale, but it was not to be and so shortly after 9 PM last night we called it quits on an exciting, challenging, and very rewarding day.
By contrast, things today have been a bit quieter, and while we have been following up on acoustic intercepts, we have had no real success as yet. On the other hand, there have been numerous sightings of other species, such as humpbacks, sperm, and fin whales, as well as birdlife. Everyone has big smiles and things are going to plan. This morning we passed close by our first "up close" ice berg and it was, as is usual, the most photographed berg of the voyage! The weather has become a little less than ideal, but still safe for boating ops with the wind at around the 18-20 knot mark. As can be seen from the data above, the ship has steamed another 150 nm south and so the air and sea temperatures have dropped considerably.
For those interested in following up related stories on the Marine Mammal Centre Website, they can be found at
http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/sorp/expeditions/antarctic-blue-whale-voyage-2013/vwhale
Until Tomorrow,
Chris, Margaret, and the VWhales Team
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.