There she blows!

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"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Anon

There are some days in my life where I find myself in such bliss that I almost have to pinch myself just to check that it isn't a dream. Today was one of those days. Early in the morning we disembarked aboard zodiacs for the idyllic island of Palmerston. Palmerston is a tiny dot in the Cook island chain and is inhabited by 38 people. The pristine white sand is literally swept clean daily by the caring residents. After a morning of interacting with the locals and snorkeling - where we saw sting rays, pencil fish, sea cucumbers and a variety of hard corals - we headed back to the ship for lunch. In the late afternoon we hopped back into the zodiacs for a drift snorkel and dive trip. While drifting with the current I saw two white tailed sharks about three feet long. I dove down to swim closer to them and as I emerged on the surface I noticed the zodiacs coming around to gather quickly gather everyone up. Whales had been spotted! And we were being gathered to go and swim with them!! (this is where I really start pinching myself!) So off we go to follow the humpback whales who are breaching and rolling nearby. We got close and our expedition leader said it was safe to jump in so I lept off the side of the zodiac, so excited that I actually forgot to put my mask down before opening my eyes underwater. Gathering my composure I suctioned my mask onto my face just in time to see a baby humpback whale about 30 feet beneath me. I was so awestruck by this "baby" (who was the size of a midsize car) that it took me a second to notice the mother quickly coming in between the baby and I! She was enormous and only 10-15 feet from my outstretched arms. She turned and I saw her white belly as she fluidly assessed the situation and rolled gracefully to check us out. Mother and baby were so smooth in their movements as they gave one flick and dove out of site. Completely awe struck I climbed back into the zodiac with a smile so big my nose could barely find room on my face. We then watched them roll and play on the top of the water. When they finally decided to go back to the depths of the water, we went back to our drift snorkeling and enjoyed a double rainbow as we drove back to the ship.

I was just as thrilled as the passengers as we happily recounted our adventures of swimming with the whales. It was an experience that I will NEVER forget and count as the best birthday present I have ever received!

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