‘The Surface Of The Sea Slowly Opened’: Photographer Describes Million Dollar Moment With Gozo Whale
Spotting sea critters like dolphins is always a precious feat and is common around Malta during summer. But have you ever seen a whale on our coasts? One Maltese student has, describing to Lovin Malta the million dollar moment he caught the majestic creature on camera.
“I saw a huge spout of water gushing out of the sea. The surface of the sea literally opened slowly, because whales are very graceful. Then I saw it,” Benjamin Grech told Lovin Malta.
Grech, together with his friend Gilbert Haber, had heard a whale was spotted near Dwejra in Gozo yesterday, and then again at Sannap Cliffs. The pair preempted the whale’s movements and headed to Ta’ Ċenċ cliffs in the hopes of a glimpse.
Their efforts paid off. Grech managed to catch this beautiful moment of the whale’s fin breaking the surface of the water.
The majestic fin whale.
Words cannot describe how it felt to hear it blow. Like thunder, you could actually feel it resonating through the air.
Ta’ Cenc, Gozo, 05/04/2021.
Posted by Benjamin Grech on Monday, 5 April 2021
“I heard a deep blast, almost exactly like the sound of thunder. Then a huge mound emerged, creating a cascade of waves as it surfaced,” he said.
“It stayed at the surface for about five seconds and dived back down again. The last thing I saw was this beautiful small fin, which surprised me seeing as it’s such a massive creature.”
Grech believes the fin whale must have been around 15 metres long.
Following the sighting, marine biologist Alan Deidun confirmed the fin whales, known as balena kbira in Maltese, migrate to the southwest of Malta to feed on krill during spring.
Fin whale migration in the Mediterranean….
This map, which emerged through the tagging of fin whales, says it all……in…
Posted by Alan Deidun on Tuesday, 6 April 2021
“Indeed, we do have whales in the Mediterranean and fin whales are not the only whale species to reside in the Mediterranean,” he said, sharing a
At the onset of summer, Deidun continued, these whales embark on a north-bound migration to the Pelagos Sanctuary located in the Ligurian Sea.
Have you ever spotted a whale in Malta? Comment below!
READ NEXT: Malta Should Increase Its Court Fees To Clamp Down On Delays, Chamber Of Advocates Secretary General Proposes
