Kevin: > We do a bit of it here in .au > Its a bit hit and miss here.
It's a bit of "hit and miss" almost everywhere - <g>. > The best time for us has just past as the last of the whales make > their way back to the Antartic. This is important as the whales > are _returning_ to their home. Just to be a bit "picky", but most of the large whales have ~two~ homes, both on their feeding grounds and on their breeding grounds, on both of which they typically spend several months of the year. > When whales are off to their spawning grounds, they are on a bit > of mission. When they are returning they are much more playful and > relaxed, [snip] When they are more playful they are more likely > to 'breach' and splash about. Here in Massachusetts waters, we see most of our large whales species (humpbacks, finbacks, minkes, typically) from April to November or so, and this is a feeding ground for these whales. (The breeding grounds for these whales are further south.) (We also see right whales from January to April, typically.) Our whales are also most "friendly" (and a "people=watching whale or group of whales makes for really a neat event) and most "playful" when the food is plentiful, and they have to spend less time feeding each day, and "have a lot of time on their hands" (so to speak). > Be prepared for an overcast day, Very good advice. > take some 400 film. Agreed. > Sometimes these chaps will be right next to > your boat, other times they will some distance off. So I take with > me a Sigma 28-300 3.5-5.6 lense. This covers most situations and > anything beyone that range is stetching stability in keeping the > lense steady. This sounds like a good plan. > You may wish to take a monopod, depending on how rough the sea > is. The are very difficult in bigger or choppy swells. I would discourage the use of a monopod. The best support for a long lens is a human bipod (biped, actually - <g>), using his/her legs (slightly bent) and torso as a stabilizing platform for holding a camera and lens as steady as possible. (Monopods and tripods only transfer the boat's motion directly to the camera.) > If it all seems too much.. eg:rain, clouds, too rough etc, > just sit back and watch these amazing leviathans, they > are truly beautiful to watch. Even if all is fine and you > do get some good shots, take the time to watch and appreciate > these creatures. Very good advice. Fred
