Today was an easy relaxing day as we sailed through the Banda Sea on the way to the Spice Islands. Our big excitement of the morning was the sighting of about 5 to 10 Blue Whales, the largest animals that have ever lived on earth! We have seen many varieties of whales on our trips, but never a Blue Whale before. Strangely enough, this mammoth creature has a tiny dorsal fin which you can see in the second photo below (I have to show you this guy in sections!) It does have a pretty impressive blow though, which is how one can spot them because they don’t come up out of the water that much unless they are diving and then you might see the tail.
The 5 tiny atolls of Lucipara in the middle of the Banda Sea are the tops of undersea mountains rising up over a mile from the ocean floor. This is where the ship anchored so all could go snorkeling and diving off the edge of one of these atolls. You can spot the atoll easily because of the change in the color of the water.
I find the evening recaps on this cruise really interesting, especially the video footage that we see from the divers. They see so much more than the snorkelers, and it is as though we are looking through a very clean window into a completely different world, one filled with a kaleidoscope of color and many incredibly beautiful things! As I watch the video, I feel like I am underwater diving along with them and I am completely fascinated by what I am seeing! Mike Greenfelder, the undersea specialist who shoots most of the footage, has given me a few photos to use so I can show you what I mean in the next entry.