The strange looking feature that you see right next to the bow of the Sea Lion is the wide open mouth of a humpback whale--lunge-feeding on krill and herring that had schooled around our ship.
It was truly a multi-sensual experience: the sight of these marvelous creatures only a few feet below us... the sound of their explosive blows and fluke slaps... and most remarkable of all, the smell of their fishy breath. Now that is a close-up and personal whale encounter!
