Journals 2003/2004

Sarah Quan
Narragansett High School, Narragansett, RI

"Whales! Hundreds of them! Come up to the bridge!" Came the announcement from Henrik. I took the four flights of stairs 2 steps at a time. Sure enough there were hundreds of pilot whales surrounding us from the edge of the ship all the way to the edge of the horizon. Can you picture that?! Whales as far as we could see for 360 degrees. The mist from their blow turned a calm sea into a field of mushroom-shaped spouts. They were swimming, diving, and occasionally they would come up out of the water and flop back down in a half-hearted breach. There were young calves glued to their mother's side, mimicking perfectly her every move. We watched for over an hour. It inspired awe in all of us. I was moved to tears feeling so fortunate to experience such a beautiful, unspoiled, mysterious moment. I will never forget this hour. I didn't take any pictures because I knew that this moment could not be captured with a photograph.