Holly and I set our alarms for bonkers o’clock and were at the “whale office” in St Lucia at 5.50 for our tractor ride which would take us the few kilometers to the beach as the sun came up over the Indian Ocean.
St Lucia does not have a harbour, it sits at the mouth of a very shallow estuary which is part of a huge wetland national park and game reserve where hippopotamus and crocodiles roam in great numbers.
We donned some waterproofs and lifejackets before climbing into the back of a smallish boat with about 10 others past the huge twin 300hp engines. After a briefing when the captain basically said hang on and then hang on some more a tractor pushed us off the beach into the surf. Almost immediately he gunned both engines to max revs and we launched forward over the breaking waves, crashing down after each one, water pouring over us. It was all we could do to stay in our seats. After a few minutes he throttled back and chatted for a bit before we took off again in search of the humpback whales that were on their migration route just off the coast.
The trip out was punishing and very very wet in the rough seas. To be honest it was becoming beyond fun, head down, eyes closed with waves breaking over the open boat just hanging on, soaking wet.
Suddenly he throttled back and got us to move to different parts of the boat where we could get a better view and still hang on. It was all holly and I could do to make our way to the bow as the boat pitched and tossed. We spent the next 20 mins stalking a whale and its offspring but all we saw was its hump as it came up for air and soon the captain said he could see some whales splashing someway further out to sea. He left us in the bow as we turned pulling away before again gunning the powerful engines. Soon we were crashing through the waves, taking big impacts through our bent knees and of course getting waves crashing over us, a real adrenaline ride.
It was worth it though, we soon were following 2 or 3 humpback whales fairly closely, who seemed to be showing off, breaching (jumping out of the water) and sticking their tails in the air.
It was impossible to get a camera out. Even if it was waterproof, just hanging onto the boat took two hands most of the time and all too soon it was time to head for home.
The trip back in wasn’t so rough but of course there was no harbor to return to. The solution…. Ride the waves in, giving it full power again and then beach the boat up on the the sand. A very exciting way to end a fantastic experience.
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