On leaving the Haven we were straight into some Commons as we approached the outer buoys. Moving out as mile by mile passed we encountered more and more dolphin and the smiles just got broader. We came across a very large pod of a hundred or so with many small calves being kept in the centre of the pod for protection.
Shortly afterwards we spotted a feeding frenzie some 800mtrs off. On reaching the spot it was evident that this was not Dolphin but Blue Fin Tuna the size of small cars thrashing around at great speed devouring everthing in their path. It was truly a great spectacle to watch given their size and the sheer power and speed they exhibited. Several shoals were encountered over the day each one as captivating as the rest. One or two of the images are not a crisp as I'd have liked but holding a beast of a lens on a moving boat when your subject is moving so fast is not easy believe me.
Then there were the other critters namely several blue shark on the surface and a large Leatherback Turtle just bobbing along.
Just as we turned for the long trip back to the Haven, Whale!! was the cry and sure enough we got onto a Minke whale which stayed around for a short while but long enough for several surfacings and lots of photo ops.
So there it was a stunning days surveying with hundreds of commons and plenty of other stuff to keep us busy taking photos. Everyone on board went away smiling I think and as these last few images show the day was good, the dolphins played their part and everyone gat a taste of the action whether it was distant and close up.
A big thanks has to go to Cartlet Lady skipper Andy for yet another fantastic trip.
I have posted some other more arty images on my Flickr stream which can be accessed from this link.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wdig/