Big Wave Wednesday Day 9 (Jan 13, 2016)
Sperm whales were absolutely clattering away on the towed array before midnight, which kept Bec well entertained. We must have moved away from the scene of the action, or they did and sadly the array was quiet for the remainder of my morning watch.
Waves are Up! The swell and wind waves have returned. I love it any which way they are
served!
The wind began to increase-unfortunately not boding well for the rest of our trip, which should be through blue whale country. The winds endured through mid-morning and by mid-afternoon we had had 22-24-28 knots consistently for over 12 hours. The swell built too, some 2.5-3-4 m swells giving us the Whale Song two-step (2 steps one-way and 2 steps the other!) and requiring the switch from the wooden block on the fridge/freezer doors to the double-bungie. Our Christmas Island fridge magnet (bought from the fantastic, jam-packed efficient Post Office) shook perfectly on the freezer door, surprisingly, in a very life-like manner.
Momentary Blue Hues. As the wave crests, the white water shines through.
Waves and a couple of visits by a Shy Albatross and a few large flying fish were the only things to report from the visual surveys and some pygmy blue whale calls on the sonobuoys. Although the waves we had today were not at all the size of those in the movie, after which today’s blog is named, it did seem appropriate that we had big waves on a Wednesday!
Mr. Albatross. A Shy Albatross that was not too shy.
With the last hundred or so miles tomorrow we are still hopeful for some sightings as we approach the coast.
Sunset Sea. Always gorgeous.
Take care,
Mich
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