Ocean's Symphony

Description

Story: The Whale Pile-Up Most boat tours give you one whale if you’re lucky. Two if the captain feels generous. We’d already seen a few breaches — splash, applause, check the box. But then came the event. Out of nowhere, six whales rose from the deep like a synchronized swimming team auditioning for Vegas. Even the captain’s jaw dropped. He said, “In 20 years I’ve never seen that.” Which, of course, was my cue to immediately fumble with my camera like a drunk octopus. The boat rocked like a carnival ride, I spread my legs like a cowboy trying to tame a horse, and I prayed: “Just one unblurry shot, please, photography gods!” Meanwhile, the whales posed like they were in a family portrait. By the time I clicked, the boat lurched, I nearly fell into someone’s lap, and my masterpiece looked like a UFO sighting captured by Bigfoot. But hey — six whales at once. Even blurry, that’s National Geographic to me.