Who said that Fin Whales are “boring”!?!

Often whale-watchers’ expectations with regard to whale encounters are dictated by unrealistic marketing choices.

A typical example is represented by the idea that a whale will appear to us breaching the water surface and performing a spectacular jump. That is generally the case of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) which in most people imagination spend their life flying in the air more than swimming in the water…In reality, breaching behavior takes around the 5% of a humpback whale behavioral pattern. And, rightfully, they are considered the most surface-active baleen whale species.

So it happens that other baleen whale species, such as Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus), are sometimes regarded as “boring” to watch. They surface showing only a little part of their huge body and they blow. Period. No flukes are lifted in the air when deep diving, no pectoral fin slapping…which are actually quite short in comparison to the body size and we always joke that they are almost like the front legs of a T-Rex 😀

Well, this aerial video that Terra Azul gathered at the beginning of March some miles out of Faial de Terra, São Miguel Island, shows a totally different reality. Trust me, sometimes it is only matter of perspectives!

Lorenzo Fiori

About Lorenzo Fiori

Lorenzo is Main Guide and Technical & Scientific Director at TERRA AZUL. He is originally from Italy, holds a PhD about behavioral responses of humpback whales to swim-with-whales tourism activities in Tonga.