There She Blows!!

After our first week of school, Gabe (the boyfriend) and I decided to take advantage of one of Ross' optional tours. We decided to go on the 2:00 PM Whale Watching Tour. The boat picked us up at the dock behind the Portsmouth Beach Cottages and Restaurant and then we headed out to sea. Every 30 minutes or so, the boat would stop and the captain would lower a microphone into the ocean to "hear" the whales. "Hear that clicking sound?" Soon, one hour passed and there were no signs of whales or dolphins. Two hours later, STILL no signs of any living creature in the area. This was the point where cynical/angry me really started to emerge.

There was an earlier tour at 9:00 AM - they came back without seeing a single dolphin or whale.I also asked the woman who "checked" us in if she had ever seen a whale. She said she has been here in Dominica for 6 years and she's been on 5 Whale Watching Tours - she has yet to see a single whale. Every time that captain put the microphone into the sea and told us to "listen to the whales in the area," I felt like throwing him overboard. I was convinced the "clicking sounds of a male whale" was a tape. Again, I told you cynical me had taken over rational me. And when he told us that time was running out and we had to head back, I was really cursing everyone and their mom. (Only in my head!) I mean, do you know what it is to waste 4 hours of perfectly good study time!? I was so mad, I had to call Michael (he opted to stay home), from the middle of the ocean, to tell him how mad I was. Whale watching capital of the Caribbean - yea, right.

Well, it looked like God began to pity me because 30 minutes before we touched sand, He sent not one but TWO whales my way! Right then, you know I was all like "I am so glad I came! What a beautiful day!" Amazing how the sight of a whale 15 feet away can change my whole personality. I snapped as many pictures as I could and I have posted them below in a slideshow. However, just as both whales started to dive into the ocean and their tails flipped into that cheesy pose everyone wants to capture - including me!! - my camera shut off and mockingly flashed the battery light. Can't win 'em all, huh? To the left is the shot I missed but we can pretend I took this picture.

I have uploaded all the pictures into a "slide show." The slide show is actually kind of boring - all you see is water and the island behind the boat. Bear with me, all I saw for two and a half hours was nothing but ocean. The last few pictures include the whales. You can see the tops of their heads, their dorsal fins, and lots of pictures of the whales blowing air. Yes, that is as exciting as "whale watching" gets. Regardless, you'll be able to see in the pictures that is was a beautiful day, the water is a bright clear blue, and the view of the island from the ocean is pretty awesome. Hope you enjoy!!

Final Thoughts

1) I think it is important to do something fun every weekend while in Med School. You should study your butt off during the week, but also have something fun to look forward to - even if it's just for a few hours. It's the only way your brain will survive here. It feels super guilty and terrible to spend your time doing something fun instead of studying but trust me, it's worth it.

2) Fully charge your camera before you go on any sort of island tour. You'd hate to miss the "shot" you sacrificed your study time for.

3) Don't go Whale Watching. Yes, I saw a whale but it looks like I just got really lucky. Look at that woman I spoke about - 6 years, 5 tours, and no whales!! I couldn't pass up the tour for $25EC (US$9.00) but if I could go back in time, I would have gone on the tubing tour or the rainforest aerial tram for the same price. Upside? I can now say I've seen whales in the wild. I don't think I know of anyone else that can say that.