Barnacle Boy

Thank you ever so much, Linaji. You gave whale watches in Glacier Bay? Oh, how wonderful that must have been. The sights you saw on a weekly basis must have been beyond description. One of my favorite places to watch humpbacks in SE was Icy Strait. Whale “soup!”

Thank you RRoca. Most appreciative thanks!

Hey, Jan. Good to hear from you. I’m still on my whale high now that I’m back in the flatlands of the Midwest. Mark and I adore Petersburg for so many reasons, most of all its proximity to one of the richest humpback whale feeding grounds in the world. I’m happy you enjoyed Barnacle Boy’s antics (hmmmm, this COULD be a lady as we were unable to determine the sex of this whale). That was one heck of an acrobatic show that whale put on. Hope you are well, Jan.

Thank you for stopping by to comment, Barbara. Most appreciated!

Joanne, so happy you enjoyed this exuberant whale’s acrobatics! Thank you so much.

Baynanno1, very kind of you to comment. I truly appreciate it!

kalaryder, thank you for your inspiring comments and the Fave. This means so much to me.

Thank you, Teresa. Barnacle Boy is such a spectacular performer. I’m happy you enjoyed his antics, too.

You and me both, Tallow. Can’t get enough of whales either. Thanks so much for stopping by for a look at this barnacled breacher.

Thank you, Scott!

WOW! Thank you for this honor, Kelly. You made my day!

Bev, thanks so much for your support. I truly do not think I’ve ever seen as many barnacles on a humpback as I did on this fella.

Kristina, you honor me. Thank you for writing such nice words. Hey, I like what you are doing with your lions. Terrific work!

Martin, didn’t you hear me whooping it up when Barnacle Boy was leaping into the air. I had to control myself just to take his picture. What a superb performer this whale was!

Thank you ever so much, OldBirch. I truly appreciate your comments!

Thank you very much, Marilyn!

Hey, David. Thank you for stopping by. I’m so sorry to hear you did not see whales while in the Inside Passage. Perhaps you were there too early in the season? The highest concentrations of humpbacks occurs in mid-July to mid-August. Please come back some time, particularly to stay in tiny, off the beaten path Petersburg, Alaska which is near what I call “whale soup.” All the best to you and may continued happy adventures come your way.

Rosemaree, you do me proud. Thank you ever so much!

Thank you, E.R. Bazor. That whale was indeed a humdinger of a performer.

David, thank you so much. Whales rule!!!

Jesika, thank you so very much!

Thank you so very much, Lyn. I really appreciate your kind comments.

Thank you, Bryan. While whale watching there is often a great deal of not much going on when all of a sudden, WHAM! A whale or whales turns on with a fantastic display. Hey, have you been to Hervey Bay? A fellow RedBubbler, Wilparina is a whale boat captain up there. Be sure to check out his bubble profile, too. Hopefully you’ll get up to Hervey or Alaska for some good whale watching!

Gabbielizzie, thank you ever so much for taking the time to comment. Very nice of you!

Trudi, thank you. I have to chuckle at your comment about forgetting to press the shutter. With this fellow it wouldn’t matter all that much for you would have had a second and third and so on chance. This whale breached for a solid 50 minutes, an amazing spectacle that delighted us all.

Laurie, thank you so very much!

Kim, your kind words mean a great deal to me. Thank you!

Gary, thank you very much. So happy you enjoyed Barnacle Boy’s show!

Thank you, Jill!

Beve, thank you so much. This truly did take my breath away after I was through whooping it up. :-)))

Thank you, Angie!

Finally back at ya, Miss Barbara. Been WAY OUT of commission recently but am back in the game. Thank you so much for commenting on my favorite whale of the moment. He was a stellar performer.

Thank you, Bubbleblue (I love your name!).

LjMaxx, thank you so much for your supportive words. I’m still reliving the wonder of it all.

Lisawv, thank you for your insightful comments. I truly appreciate your words!

Tania, thank you for your comment and for stopping by. Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Happy Dance! Thank you ever so much, E.R. Bazor. You made my day!

Thank you, kimbarose. Very, very kind of you to stop by and comment!

Lorilee, thank you ever so much!

Hey, Linda! Thank you for your sweet comments. Been away playing with whales and rather out of touch with RedBubble…sorry for the delay in responding. Sigh…I wish I was back with Barnacle Boy right now. Can’t get enough of those babies.

Thanks ever so much, Dennis. Very much appreciated coming from you!

Thanks so much, Michelle!

Thank you very much, dear Bela.

Thank you very much, Apolic. Happy to have you stop by!

Thank you ever so much, Panalot. I appreciate you stopping by to comment!

Thanks Saltwatershots! Yes, we have to get you up to see the whales in AK. I have another journey planned for early November to Alaska when the humpbacks are congregating in certain canals and bays to gorge on food before commencing their migration to Hawaii. While I do not expect any breaching, the whales will still be fascinating to watch as they deep dive for food. It will be cold, with snow possible plus low light (if the sun shines, that is) so perhaps the whales will bless me with some interesting photos. Thanks for the report on your whales. I truly enjoy hearing about what great whales are up to around the globe!

Thank you, Jason. I’m so pleased you enjoyed Barnacle Boy!

Thank you ever so much for the vote of confidence!!!

Tania, big thank yous for stopping by and commenting!

Thank you very, very much, Brian!

Anne, thanks much. Those barnacles were indeed something. I have one photo of Barnacle Boy’s rorquals that make it look as if there are writhing snakes on the boy. The barnacles are all extended, making our boy here look too much like Medusa.

Thank you so much, Aquarelle. I appreciate you stopping by.

Thank you, Irina. Glad you enjoyed Barnacle Boy!

Egads, Sharon, sorry I’m so late in responding. Thank you so very much for this honor!

Thank you so very much, dinghysailor1!

Glad you enjoyed this great whale, Marsbub! Thank you so much.

Micmac, thank you so much!

Eaphotography, thank you for stopping by! Much appreciated.

It warms my heart to know you enjoyed this breaching whale, brechti. Thank you for stopping by!

Kymbo, thank you very, very much for your comments. This was indeed a special moment with an unforgettable humpback whale. I’m still on a high from that experience.

Hey, Ann, love hearing from you as usual. Thank you for your kind comments. Any time spent with whales is indeed a blessing.

Thank you for your continued support, Barbara!

Thank you, Kasia-D. What a whale this fella was!

Thanks so much, Scott.

Louise, thank you ever so much!!!

Matt, thank you for this honor. I’m so pleased!

Thank you, AmandaH! Very kind of you.

So happy you enjoyed Barnacle Boy’s antics, Cherubtree!

Ron, thank you very much. I can’t get enough of humpback whales when they decide to turn on like this. It just looks FUN!

Thank you so much. Hey, we have to get you out to see some whales in SE AK. One other thing…my husband and I will be attending WhaleFest in Sitka in early November. Any chance of you getting out to Sitka then? Would love to meet you two!

Hey, Sharon!!! Mahalo for stopping by.

Rosalie, thanks for brightening my day, as you always do! Gina

Let’s see if we can make this happen, Deb!

Thank you, Rob!!!

Keep watching those humpbacks, Jenndes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out on the water trying to capture just such an image as this when the whales did not want to play. If by any chance you are rather new to whale watching, here’s a tip…often when humpbacks breach, they’ll do it again and again. Not always, but it’s not uncommon. Keep your eyes and lens trained on where they sound and wait for something spectacular to happen. Good luck with your whales. I know it’s a pain when you can’t see what they are up to underneath the waves but that’s part of the fun. All the best, Gina

WOW! I love the swimming whale you have gifted to me. That’s really special plus I truly appreciate your very kind comment.

Thank you, Ken. I’m very pleased by this honor.

Thank you, Kristina K! Very, very kind of you to stop by.

Keith, thank you very, very much for your comment!

So happy to know you enjoyed old Barnacle Boy! Thanks for stopping by to comment, midzing.

Thank you, Antanas! So very nice of you to comment on my favorite acrobatic whale of the moment.

Taschja, I’m so pleased you enjoyed old Barnacle Boy’s joyful breaching. Thank you for taking time to comment. One day I hope to see some of your South African right whales. That is a dream of mine. Cheers!

Have a whale of a time!!! That has to be a wonderful festival. I’ll look it up on the ‘net and save the information for future reference. I’m heading to the WhaleFest in Sitka, Alaska in November. It celebrates the humpbacks that will soon be migrating from Alaskan waters to Hawaii where they give birth and mate. I will look forward to seeing your whale festival postings. Pet a southern right for me, okay??? :-)))

Thanks, Taschja. I have noted the festival information as a whale wish list. Traveling to Hermanus for the “champagne air” sounds delicious. Must get back to SA. It’s been too many years and the whales await! Thanks so much!

Thank you, Lori. I keep trying to add some other types of images but I guess the whales in particular just keep singing to me. :-)) I was moved by your heartfelt tribute to the memory of September 11. Lori, it still remains so fresh in my mind. Thank you for keeping the victims and survivors of that terrible day in our minds. We must never forget them.

Lori, thank you and your husband for your service to our country. It’s people like you two who make it safe for us to sleep peacefully at night. No, there was nothing any of us could do to help much eight years ago but keeping the spirit and memory of 9/11 alive helps immensely. Never give up the good fight. I am so glad to have made your acquaintance via RedBubble. It’s gratifying to know there are others who share our love of country plus the need to preserve our freedom. Blessings!

Thank you, Heather!

Thank you, Dyle. I appreciate your very kind comments. No, I have not stepped on a barnacle, thank goodness, but I have touched them. They are indeed razor sharp. This poor whale had barnacles all over the place, including near its genital slit which is not uncommon with humpback whales. Can you imagine how unfortunate that would be???

Thank you, lacitrouille. Whales can indeed be pretty graceful when breaching.

Big smiles and thank yous, Karen. If only that would happen. :-)) Glad you enjoyed old Barnacle Boy’s performance.

Laneyk, take me with you when you go see these babies, okay? I’ll even carry your camera gear. :-))) Truly, I hope you do go see Alaska’s humpbacks. They continually amaze me.

Hey, Captain Wilparina! Thank you for your very kind comments but don’t sell your own fine images short. A highlight of my day is to see what your babies are doing on the other side of the world as captured through your lens. Do you have any openings for crew on your vessel? MY husband says he could be the boat boy and I could do commentary although I don’t know when I’d get in a lecture with all the photographic moments I’d have to immortalize. :-))) Hope things are going well with your whaling season. Will they soon be taking off for Antarctica? The wee beasties in Alaskan waters will soon be heading to Hawaii around the end of November and early December. In two weeks I’m off to the Inside Passage for a week spent with humpbacks in a great feeding area near Admiralty Island. Captain Dennis assures me that 100-200 humpbacks feed there prior to migration. They are not so acrobatic at this time, intent primarily on gorging in one final feast in their Alaskan “kitchen” before commencing their long swim toward their “bedroom” of Hawaii. This will be pure whale geekdom! We’ll see what photos come out of this but more than anything I’m just tickled pink to have the opportunity to spend time among whales. Have to get you and your family up here one of these days if we can tear you away from your beloved Hervey Bay whales.

Thank you, dear Heather. You know, I had a similar reaction when this fellow kept performing again and again. That, of course, was after I emitted a war whoop of joy!

Thank you so much, Betty. Wildlife, particularly whales and bears knock me out photographically speaking but I also adore abstracts and therefore think you have a stunning portfolio.

I always feel a bit blue when the whales leave which must sound odd since I don’t even live near them. Bid your whales a safe passage south from me.

Dave, if I added up all the time I’ve spent on whale watching boats in waiting for the perfect breach, I’d probably wonder what on earth I was doing out there all those times. But I have such a fascination with whales that it’s all worth it. Thank you for stopping by!

Matt, thank you so much. I get a kick out of it when others enjoy whales as much as I do.

Thank you, Laura. Barnacle Boy is one of my favorite whales. I wish I could ID his tail flukes so I’d possibly know him in future encounters. Still, I have the memory of this humpback’s joyous acrobatics. I guess this whale will never know the happiness it created for others but I’ll always be thankful to that whale for a special moment in time. Glad you liked this!

Thank you, Christa!