exhibiting mating behavior , or males that were escorting females with their young .
“ I had my first close encounter with a whale on day-one , within minutes of getting into the water ,” Perry said . “ The whale was magnificent . Much bigger than I ’ d imagined , and it got my heart rate going . We are very little in the humpback ’ s world . It ’ s a good reminder of our place in the universe .”
Humpbacks are notorious for their acrobatics , and Perry got to see it all , from breaching ( rising up out of the water ) to the slapping of their pectoral fins and tails . She learned that sometimes it ’ s about building up strength for their long migrations , and other times it ’ s just pure playfulness .
“ We were amazed at the males that would position swim along the bottom singing their mating songs for 20-25 minutes , hoping to attract a fertile female ,” Perry said . Our fascination with whale songs has made them the stuff of seafaring legends and new age meditative musical compositions .
An Unforgettable Experience Perry ’ s tour mates were of different ages and backgrounds . Some , like Perry , were experienced scuba divers . Several came
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