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“I’m on the fence about that right now.”
“Understandably.” He stood and watched silently until his voice rose once again. “Oh yay, there’s a few more in the area.”
I checked out the direction he was smiling and staring at. Every once in a while, a dark mass would rise and fall, and sometimes a spray of water would spout out.
“They’re getting closer?” My voice pitched along with the boat.
“Yes.”
A new set of panic raced through me. Would they tip the boat? How safe were we?
“They’re curious creatures. Probably just coming to see what’s going on. We’ve been trying to locate the dominant male, but he hasn’t been spotted yet.”
“How can you tell? By that fin thing on their back?”
Once upon a time, I’d watched the movieFree Willy,so I knew all about whales.
“Pacific Greys don’t have a dorsal fin, more like a bump but it’s not as pronounced. Instead, we identify their flukes – their tails if you will. Each is unique, like a thumbprint. The whales have been photographed and their data recorded. This way we can see their migratory patterns and watch the pods, or families, grow. Pacific Grey whales used to be on the critically endangered list, you know.” He spoke with such pride and love; it was easy to see this wasn’t just a job for him.
“And now?”
His smile widened. “They’ve been downgraded to endangered. They are slower to reproduce than other whales, so it takes longer for their numbers to grow.”
“And you’re missing one?”
“The dominant male hasn’t been spotted in a few weeks so we’re hoping nothing bad has happened.”
“You speak with so much warmth, it’s clear you’re passionate about your job.”
“I love my job. The open ocean. Mother Nature. Getting other people excited about the whales, and hopefully instilling a little conservation as we travel along, although I’ll admit Ales does most of that. He has a gift with his words.” Binoculars pressed to his eyes, he scanned the area.
“Have you been a whale watcher long?”
“Used to spend my summers between Cheshire Bay and Stewart Surf so there’s always been a deep love of the ocean, but I’d say that passion really started in high school.”
Curiosity got the better of me. “When did you graduate?”
“Class of 04.” He beamed with pride as he lowered the binoculars.
I knew he was older than me, but damn. I was three when he graduated.
“What does that look mean?” He drew an imaginary circle around my face.
“Nothing.” Which was true. He was a means to the end. Age had no part in this.
Feeling a little strength returning, I braced myself against the seat and pushed myself to a stand, my fingers digging deep into the vinyl seat for security. I was going to be on the hook for a repair bill if I wasn’t careful.
Despite the constant rocking motion, the view truly was incredible.
A whale swam closer and a blast of water exploded with the cool mist settling over us.
“WOW.” I moved back and nearly fell, but Landon caught me before I had any possibility of tumbling overboard. “Thanks. It’s pretty cool to see. It… It just surprised me.”
His gaze steadied mine as did his arm which was wrapped around my waist. “I could spend all day out here.”
“I’m sure you could.”
After another spy hop from the whale, he broke his hold and pulled out a book full of plastic-protected pictures. Each page had two photos of whale tails with a bunch of inscriptions under their given names.
