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Published: September 25th 2012
Some blogs do not need any text, and this is one of them, the pictures should be more than enough to tell the story...even with less than average pictures....
But than, it would be only half of the story and some words still need to be written.
So first thing first, one more time, I would like to thank my friends Mercredes and Sergi from Koh Lipe who told me "you've got to go there!".
Even with those infos, I did few mistakes...first...Puerto Madryn is not into the Peninsula Valdes, Puerto Piramides is IN the Peninsula Valdes...small issue, there is 100km between the two small cities. You can dive out of Puerto Madryn...but I did dive out of Puerto Piramides.
Second fun story...Mercredes told me, you've got to dive with Captain Pinino...she is right...but after blogging, Captain Pinino seems to be the local glory and expert in the "whales world"....little did I know that Captain Pinino is not the Captain of a small ship...he "owns" Puerto Piramides....that's another story Mercedes. Specially as I found the fact that "Captain" here meant more "Captain of Industry" when you speak of Pinino...
So before I go further in that fun story...the ride around Peninsula Valdes! We had our little "boating trip" book out of Puerto Piramides at 12.30. So we left early Puerto Madryn...in our junk VW Gol....junk car...wreck car...first 100km are on paved road...than you hit the gravels...gravels are bad...for me...for the car....gravels are bad, specially at the speed I'm going!
We saw lamas and sheeps...thousand of sheeps...tens of lamas...but no pictures stop now...I was so scared to miss our "boat"...and what would happen once I puncture not the first tyre...as we had a spare...but the second one...
First stop...the penguins...around 100++ of them...a first for Ines....not for Leslie and Tif...and for me...well, I've done Antartica....but still so much fun for four of us...penguins are penguins...noisy, slightly smelly....but oh so cutties...
Back with the car...more gravels...and this time it's elephant seals colony. We were further away, so had only the noise...not the smell...but trust me, these guys smell too! And yes, the sun was out there, big time!
It was time, after more than 250km in just few hours to make our way to Puerto Piramides....but
still we saw few more sheeps...one or two salt pans...and yes, few more tens of lamas...oh, I didn't tell you, this is a UNESCO World Heritage Place....cannot be just good!
We arrived nearly late in Puerto Piramides....and Mercedes...it's here that the story is turning into a fun one. You arrive unprepared in Koh Lipe (Thailand if you didn't know)...and ask for Antoine or Mercedes...and in two minutes you are one the right way....because everybody knows them!
I had first call Pinino himself...hey, don't ask me how, but with internet...your phone is available...always...well...maybe not mines...got too many prepaid cards....well...Pinino was on the phone two weeks ago...and he was a pretty nice guy. He than put me in contact with Pedro from Pinino Buceo...till there....that seems to follow the right path...prices were agreed...call and fb messages exchanged...time set...even checked the day before...no problem...
Well...kind of! I thought, easy...not that many divers...not that many diving places, we'll find them easy. Arrive in Puerto Piramides to find hundreds of tourists geared with orange jackets...what's going on here???
Found the Pinino big boat...onland...went to reception..."hi, we are here to dive, can we speak
to Pedro?? No Pedro here...ok, where is Pinino...Pinino is the Dueno", aka owner, "he doesn't speak to clients"...what the hell...what's this place...hey, we spoke to Pedro on fb...is there another Pinino...I mean...a real Pinino...answer...No, that's the only one....no way!
I was right...no way...and 10 minutes into this "bu...sh...commercial stuf...a light came...ah Pedro...." Trust me, you could pronounce Pedro 7 ways in vietnamese...but in castellano...Pedro...es Pedro!
Pedro, at Pinino Buceo does exist...and he is 500 meters out of the mad rush of the "day trippers"...my fault, I should have listened (nothing new in this, I admit!)!
So let's the secret go out...Pinino is not only a worldwide whale speacialist....he is also a great business guy...making huge money on "cow" tourists going to see whales....you see the link...cows....whales...whatever....
But...there is always a but...Pinino is a great Argentinan guy...and you cannot make a fortune on the masses without saving your soul...and for this, there is Pinino Buceo. It's private, it presonal, it's friendly, it's Wow! Where on earth do we agree first hand on a price...and when it's time to pay...because we had a great time, they give you
an extra discount (point to note: I didn't even think of asking!)...go figure...don't tell me I told you, it's only work if they like you...or let me think this way! But let's not speak of the money!
Pedro was amazing...point! Four of us on the boat, plus Pedro, Marcos the captain...and the third guy, so quiet we didn't even knew his name...and I feel sorry writing this!
We had a boat for ourselves...go compare this with 370 pesos a head...90 minutes with 100 other clients...to see few whales!
We spent the afternoon on the water...and what a program! First....whales...whales...whales...plus few penguins...
Than we swam with the...no...not the whales...the sea lions....ok, only few of them! Water must have been too cold for them...was only 10 degrees...and trust me, Tiffany is a good sea lion...she prefers the sun...to the cold water!
Than more whales...
...and it was time to dive. This is not for Tif, but I was hoping for Leslie. But one more time, my infos were not all accurate...I was planing for 15-17 degrees...would have been cold, but the young diver could
have faced it...we ended with 10 degrees, and 8 meters of visibility.
Leslie tried, but he never made it past the 3 meters deep....that's ok...soon he'll have more fat on his belly and will be able to face it...maybe not right now...
So I knew I had a dive...because the next two days the wind forecast was bad...solid bad...and it was now...or never.
I knew the visibility was bad....the water was cold...but the whales were there! Makes the maths...your average Balena Franca Austral, aka Southern Right Whale is just over 12 meters long...big!...and the visibility is just...not over...rather below...8 meters...what are my chances on a single dive....well...nul!
And here it is...they are on the boat...I'm in the water and I hear....whale...dive...I dive...this is no bull shark, this is no whale shark...this is a whale...and I either go close to see it...or I don't see it...so I dive...and here she was...big...in cold water...freezing cold water...at full speed...and me, like an idiot, I take one pic...in bad visibility...and the whale passes by ....fast...I enjoy the close encounter with the tail...still freezing...something around 4 meters below the surface...the tail is right
there...in front of my nose...no clear picture....but the moment will remain forever...I've just encountered my first whale, down there...it's magic, I'm just a little human...homo diver...happy!
I did a dive and saw a whale...if you know me well, you'll find this normal...
The dive was cold...and yes, 10 degrees water in a 7mm plus 5mm shorty...is not specially the most enjoyable moment in your life. After the whale, everything went into cold mode...making me think...these guys are mad....but now, even without a dry suit, I know I can be mad too...a single dive was enough...got my whale...got my 37th country diving...or something like that...
And if you want to know, over the last few weeks, my friends at Protea Banks in South Africa and South West Rock in Australia all saw whales while diving...with better visibility, and way warmer water....but I was neither in Australia or South Africa...it was Argentina and the whale was there...right to the second...minute...for the dive!
By the time we made it back to the beach, Leslie and Tiffany were frozen...Ines was happy, I was (as often) over excited...and it was soon
time to get first a hot shower...second to drive back to our little craddle...for another nice dinner...
Peninsula Valdes...we saw something between 50 to 100 whales...few sheeps...many lamas...we saw penguins, elephant seals...even gravel roads...
Peninsul Valdes....thanks Mercedes for such a day...take care...because I know that when we enjoy now, life is not that easy for you...take care my friend!
And for everybody else....next entry coming end of next week-end...because if you ever think the joy ride is over...well...it's not over yet!
With love from Argentina!
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Bonne Mamy
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Barbaro ! las paginas me hicieron viajar de nuevo... pero yo preferi el ripio al agua fria.... Que sigan descrubriendo todas las maravillas del pais... seran felices aunque se que ya lo son !!!