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Ocean Wild Things

What Humpback Whales Can Teach Us About Compassion

June 18, 2018 by Emily Folk Leave a Comment

Research and observations have discovered that animals might have compassion. Our world is a complicated and strange place. When we humans think we’ve learned all we can about the planet, something new and amazing emerges to challenge our thinking and give us deeper insight into this place we call home. Understanding nature helps us understand… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: baleen, breaching, compassion, humpback whale, intelligence, science, whale, whales, wildlife

Whale watching wonder – enjoying the experience!

October 4, 2015 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

Yesterday I went whale watching for the first time in ages and couldn’t believe I had let so many months slip by since the last time. There’s just nothing like it, the anticipation of what you might see, the fresh ocean air and the wind on your face all makes for a magical combination. My… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: Harbor Breeze Cruises, humpback whale, nature photography, photography, whale, whale watching, wildlife photography

Hawaii humpback heaven

February 25, 2014 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

I was in Hawaii humpback heaven and it was amazing! One of the best places to access humpback whale heaven is off the island of Maui from the city of Lahaina. This is where you can find tons of whale watching boats to take you out to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: baleen, breach, endangered, Hawaii, humpback whale, Lahaina, Maui, nature photography, whale watching, wildlife photography

A whale watching weekend

March 24, 2013 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

This weekend I had the chance to go whale watching and I’m so glad I did! My friends and I boarded the Christopher in Long Beach Saturday morning along with 100 other people and headed out to see what we could see. The first whale we came across turned out to be a fin whale,… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: cetacean, common dolphin, fin whale, flukes, gray whale, humpback whale, nature photography, whale, whale watching, wildlife photography

Gray whales are heading north!

March 19, 2013 by Carolyn Kraft Leave a Comment

Yesterday, the volunteers at the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project had a whale of a day so to speak. They spotted 27 gray whales headed north! But that’s not all, they also saw tons of other wildlife doing all sorts of interesting things. Here’s a quick recap: Bottlenose dolphins playing with one of… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: bottlenose dolphin, breach, cetacean, common dolphin, dolphin, fin whale, humpback whale, Pacific white-sided dolphin, pinniped, sea lion, whale, whale watching

Humpback whale on a mission

June 12, 2012 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

I love this photo! It was taken off the coast of Alaska by Michael Daniel Ho, who graciously allowed me to share it here. When I first saw this photo on Facebook, it just grabbed me. This whole story popped into my head about how this humpback whale was late to a meeting and was… [read more]

Filed Under: Photography, Whales Tagged With: cetacean, humpback whale, nature photography, whale, whale watching, wildlife photography

Have a whale of a Mother’s Day!

May 13, 2012 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there whether you are feathered, finned, furry or footed! Since this past week was full of fascinating whale news, it’s the perfect time to highlight the trials and tribulations facing some finned moms out there (it’s actually more accurate to say knuckled for gray whales since they… [read more]

Filed Under: Earth musings, Whales Tagged With: cetacean, dorsal fin, gray whale, humpback whale, killer whale, orca, whale, whale watching

And the Oscar goes to…humpback whales!

February 27, 2012 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

Last night was another Oscar ceremony full of glitz and glamor, with beautiful and talented men and women taking the stage to accept awards for being beautiful and/or talented. Of course they also make big money for being so beautiful and talented. But what about all the unpaid stars out there? Who is left dancing… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: cetacean, humpback whale, whale, whale watching

Celebrate heart day your way

February 14, 2012 by Carolyn Kraft Leave a Comment

It’s Valentine’s Day! But how did Valentine’s Day become all about couples? Why can’t it just be about love and celebrating what you love in life whether that’s a place, idea, cause or person? Instead of getting caught up in the Hallmark driven malarkey, celebrate what inspires you, your passions in life, what you love.… [read more]

Filed Under: Earth musings, Whales Tagged With: cetacean, humpback whale, whale, whale watching

Whale watching photos taken near Santa Barbara part 2

September 3, 2011 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

Part two (don’t worry there will only be three parts) of amazing whale sighting on the ACS Whale Watching trip features the humpback whales that gave us quite a show. This trip was the first time I’ve seen synchronized swimming or fluking. Four humpback whales swam very closely together, they took time hanging at the… [read more]

Filed Under: Photography, Whales Tagged With: baleen, cetacean, fluke, humpback whale, killer whale, whale, whale watching

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