Whale Tails

My second whale watching trip last week brought sunny skies and record numbers of whale sightings.  There was an abundance of krill in the area so the whales were out in force with 265 spotted on Sunday.  Typical sightings this time of year are 10 to 15 whales on the four hour trip.  They reported over 120 humpback whales on my Tuesday trip.  It was very cool to get lucky enough to see so many whales.  They were spouting and slapping tails everywhere we looked.

Here is an article from a local paper about the high whale counts.

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/environment-and-nature/20160720/humpback-blue-whales-storm-monterey-bay

Catching the whales diving with their tails in the air as they ready for a dive is always a good photo op.  This day was more challenging with the rougher seas.  The boat was rocking severely, especially when stationary.  Had to try to lean on the rail, which was waist high, while trying to get the shot.  Had to keep grabbing the rail to keep from falling over.

Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 100-400 II lens, handheld, 400mm with minimal cropping

Aperture priority, 1/3200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation

Aperture priority, 1/4000 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation

Aperture priority, 1/3200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 800, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation

Aperture priority, 1/1250 sec @ F5.6, ISO 640, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation

July 29, 2016 | Categories: Whales | Tags: Canon 100-400 II, Canon 1DX, Humpback Whale, Monterey Bay, Monterey California, Whale tails, whale watching | 2 Comments