accuratehorn
10,000+ Posts
The Link
Overcame my lifelong fear of deepsea trips and went on a "pelagic" birdwatching trip, leaving at 6 a.m. Saturday morning on the Osprey out of South Padre.
We went about 50 miles out, because the birdwatching was slow, although we eventually saw some good species like Cory's Shearwater, Greater Shearwater, Band-rumped Storm-petrels, and Masked Boobies. These birds can only be seen over deep water (they do go communally once a year to a nesting site for a few weeks, usually a remote island).
The seas were perfect, about one to two feet, and I don't think I even needed the scopolomine tablets I took (the active ingredient in most seasickness patches).
Since we went out further than normal due to slow birding, the boat came across some cetaceans-a large pod of bottle-nosed dolphins bow-rode for several minutes, leaping out of the water completely many times to breathe, then getting back in the forward wake of the boat, surfing for the fun of it.
Then we came across the Risso's dolphins, first mis-de'ed as pilot whales. Spectacular.
But not as spectacular as the next sighting, found by spotting some huge fins surfacing in the distance. The captain cruised over to them, and they were indeed eleven short-finned pilot whales, playing on the surface, showing their tails. Very rare sight in the Gulf of Mexico.
Anyhow, the summer is the calmest time to try a trip like this in the Gulf, and the chance of nearly glassy waters is the greatest. I might even go back next summer and try it again.
Overcame my lifelong fear of deepsea trips and went on a "pelagic" birdwatching trip, leaving at 6 a.m. Saturday morning on the Osprey out of South Padre.
We went about 50 miles out, because the birdwatching was slow, although we eventually saw some good species like Cory's Shearwater, Greater Shearwater, Band-rumped Storm-petrels, and Masked Boobies. These birds can only be seen over deep water (they do go communally once a year to a nesting site for a few weeks, usually a remote island).
The seas were perfect, about one to two feet, and I don't think I even needed the scopolomine tablets I took (the active ingredient in most seasickness patches).
Since we went out further than normal due to slow birding, the boat came across some cetaceans-a large pod of bottle-nosed dolphins bow-rode for several minutes, leaping out of the water completely many times to breathe, then getting back in the forward wake of the boat, surfing for the fun of it.
Then we came across the Risso's dolphins, first mis-de'ed as pilot whales. Spectacular.
But not as spectacular as the next sighting, found by spotting some huge fins surfacing in the distance. The captain cruised over to them, and they were indeed eleven short-finned pilot whales, playing on the surface, showing their tails. Very rare sight in the Gulf of Mexico.
Anyhow, the summer is the calmest time to try a trip like this in the Gulf, and the chance of nearly glassy waters is the greatest. I might even go back next summer and try it again.
