The ever elusive dolphin...

Nothing gets me fired up to blog quicker then getting a great shot of a marine mammal.

I've posted quite a few throughout the years here.  Most recently it was of a fin whale.  My archives are a mess from transferring my blog a few times and so seeing older dolphins is nigh impossible.  

The thing is 9 times out of 10 I don't get the shot.  Of all the photos I take of dolphins and whales its very rare for me to get a gem.

They almost all look like this:

I've been trying for a little transparency on the photography front so I figured I'd share a dolphin splash.

For the record, I'll photograph dolphin splashes all day long if it means I might get a gem!

Night Photos :: Harvest Moon

A harvest moon is the full moon closest to the Autumnal (or September) Equinox.  It can come anywhere from two weeks before the equinox to two weeks after the equinox.  This year it came on the early side between September 8-9.

I was crossing from Japan to California and was treated to some very bright morning watches before the sun rose.  

Because we were advancing our clocks as we crossed the ocean our ship time was majorly out of whack with the actual time zone.  This meant that it was like winter in Alaska - the sun rose really late!  

This photo was taken at six in the morning.  One of my favorite things about Night Photos at sea is the streaking of light.  The fact that I got that moon as round as I did blew my mind!

The following evening I was able to capture some moon beams.  

Moon beams feel magical.  Totally cliche but totally true.

A few more shots of the Harvest Moon....

I See At Sea :: A Fin Whale!

Nothing perks me up at sea quite like seeing a marine mammal.  That sounds so ridiculously corny but, I just don't know how else to explain it!  A dolphin, whale, seal, or otter can make me feel down right euphoric and giddy.  Often times, if I have a large enough heads up that there is wild life in my general vicinity I'll run for my camera.  Sometimes they're too far off, sometimes the weather just doesn't cooperate and on rare occasions sometimes I keep the event simple and just enjoy my sighting.

Coming into California a few days ago I spotted some whale spouts nearby.  I quickly switched camera lenses and hoped a whale would make an appearance.

I tried to get a few shots but missed every time.  In the meantime the Captain joined me in my whale watching.  

There was a large spout and then the Captain realized this whale was going to stick around and yelled out, 'Haul Ass to the Port Side!!!!!!!!'.  So I did.

I literally ran with my camera as fast as I could to the Port Bridge Wing.  

The Captain was quick on my heels and there he was.  A pale blue outline against the deeper blue of the ocean.  

My camera was up - focused and ready to snap away - when our lovely whale friend decided to make his presence known.  

First his head came up - a sharper pointer nose - then he slowly arched giving us a good look at his blow hole and finally his sleek back and dorsal fin.

After taking a good look at the photos we identified it as a Fin Whale.  Fin's are the second largest whale (the first being a Blue Whale) - and man, it was easy to tell our whale friend was a behemoth!  So long!

Clearly, I can't only post these photos - I took 19 photos before he disappeared from sight.  Enjoy the full experience!

ACDC v2

This might also be considered a My Life Is So Weird Moment except truly it wasn't so much weird as it was funny.

ACDC Man:  (looking at the Radar sees a vessel named Winning Brother) What a stupid name for a ship...Winning Brother!

ME:  I think a lot of foreign ships names get lost in translation....

ACDC Man:  yeah....but Winning Brother?!

ME:  I dunno dude...

ACDC Man:  If I had a ship I'd name it Bad to the Bone.  Then when people called my vessel they'd have to say it three times!  

We all cracked up.

You can read ACDC v1 here.

ACDC v1

I have a watch partner who has  thing for ACDC.  I find random ACDC etchings all over the ship. Mostly, I find them in condensation.  Sometimes I find them on scrap paper.  Sometimes I find them in dust.  I've started taking pictures of these little offerings and it's strangely become a lovely collection!

My first ACDC photo is still the best because the sunrise just lit it up.

“For those about to rock, we salute you.”

— ACDC

This watch partner of mine can often times be found air guitaring on the bridge wing or muttering drum solos under his breath.

I offer you ACDC v1 - I've got some more versions to follow!

Primordial Ooze

I've realized that all that cheap Chinese shit we keep buying isn't really all that cheap. There's a price to pay....and Mother Nature seems to be the one paying it. 

If there was ever a place in the world where primordial ooze actually existed it would be China.

Steaming through huge drifts of bright green seaweed I couldn't help but wonder if it was actually some toxic byproduct of some incredibly unethical production plant somewhere.  

Instead I decided to just enjoy the bright green next to the blue and the novelty of sailing through what looked like a golf course.  

Seaweed Sighting