Minke whales

Rod Klein · Issue 26, Sep/Oct 2005 · pp. 34–37

Products mentioned: Nikon D2X, Subal Housing

While many countries have banned programs where visitors can swim with whales, a very organized (and unpublicized even in Australia) swim with whales industry has developed in waters off the northern Great Barrier Reef based on the voluntary approaches of Dwarf Minke whales. In addition, an official research program is focused on learning more about Dwarf Minke whales and their interactions with divers and snorkelers. The goal is to learn more about this little known species and, most importantly, to ensure the encounters have minimal impact on the whales. Starting out in L.A, I first flew to Sydney, Australia and then connected on to Cairns, where I was to board the Nimrod Explorer. Having traveled to Australia before, I made sure to have a couple of days in Cairns just to make sure that any jetlag was history and I was fresh and ready to go when it was time to get on the boat. Anything…