Here are some shots of those whales from the 30th, a wealth of whales. I was using an amphibious Canon Powershot D10, which works best 8-10 feet from one's subject, underwater or in dry air, and so I missed too many shots or marred too many shots with a faulty zoom or just not enough reach, as it were, technically. JP had a similar problem with his GoPro, that middle distance being required, and yet neither of us wanted to get too close, neither of us wanted to bother these glorious creatures. We hung back or paddled away from any possible collisions or crowding, choosing respect over getting the shots.
The morning paddle:
Our initial view beyond the harbor mouth: what luck, a whale!
Postscript:
When JP and I returned a few days later with family to kayak again with the whales, we only saw three whales or, more likely, the one whale three times, and only in glimpses. A let-down, certainly, at that time, but later that day, JP reminded me what a glory of a day we had despite not seeing the dozens of whales we'd seen on the 30th (and which I am showing evidence of with the photos below), what a glory of day we had because in the Moss Landing Harbor we paddled by and observed harbor seals, sea lions, otters by the dozen, terns, pelicans, and other rich life, beside what we saw outside the harbor as we paddled further, probably, away from land than I'd paddled before, the swell light and easy, almost flat, looking for whales, and feeling we'd missed out, even though the sea lions and the birds and even an otter or two could be found out there, you know?
