We'd
been offered three choices for whale watching - a rigid inflatable (zodiac),
where you sit in the full immersion/survival suit for 3 hours, a big
catamaran, or a small silver, odd-looking boat. We chose the silver
one because it had an inside deck, whereas all the others were open
all round. As it turned out, it was a good choice, because once you're
moving out at sea (and these things really do move!) it gets pretty
cold in the wind, and for about 40 minutes we were in fog, which was
pretty freezing outside. Judging by the expressions on the passengers
on one of the Zodiacs we passed in the fog, we'd made the right choice.
The
trip was 3 1/2 hours long, and we saw killer whales (Orcas) - the picture
is of a whopper called Ruffles - Minke whales and seals - seals, sea
lions and bull Elephant seals. The trip was great, although sadly the
Orcas stayed about 400 yards away, and didn't do any of their acrobatics.
It was also pretty expensive (in backpacking budget terms), because
it cost just over £100 for all of us - but we won't see Orca's anywhere
else, so it was a once-only chance.