It was the ‘icing on the cake’ for the luckiest of passengers and crew in Cornwall who saw the whale, ‘hundreds’ of dolphins AND tuna on the same trip
A curious minke whale was spotted by a Marine Discovery Penzance tour(Image: Marine Discovery Penzance)
A wildlife watching tour group were treated to a remarkable sight when a curious minke whale circled their boat.
The inquisitive mammal was captured on camera by the wildlife tour operator Marine Discovery Penzance as it explored around their boat, leaving the crew and passengers in awe.
Duncan Jones, skipper and co-owner of Marine Discovery Penzance, estimated that the minke stuck around for around 20 minutes which he said is highly “unusual” behaviour from the whale.
“It was a really nice encounter with a minke because sometimes you can see one or two surfaces, then they will disappear, not always but sometimes,” Duncan told CornwallLive.
“So, when you get a really social one like that, it’s really interesting and exciting because it’s lovely to see them and you get the idea that they have chosen to come and interact with you, which is a really interesting thing, especially when they can be what we call a more shy or avoidant animal.”
Duncan said they first came across the minke after spotting Rupert Kirkwood, who is known across the South West as the Lone Kayaker, with a large social media following, and a friend while out on the water just southwest of Penzance.
The wildlife tour was also treated to a tuna sighting (Image: Marine Discovery Penzance)
As the tour boat approached the kayakers, they saw the minke surface the water before it began circling them and swimming under the boat.
While it is not unusual to see minke whales in the South West, it is unique to see them being so sociable, Duncan explained.
“Minke whales are the most commonly sighted whale in the South West,” he said. “This year it’s not been a great year for them actually, it has been a poor year for whale sightings off the South West, so it’s not unusual to see a minke whale but it is unusual to see one interacting with you.”
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He added: “There are different behaviours of minkes, sometimes you see them feeding and it’s spectacular to watch them lunge feeding, sometimes you just watch them surfacing.
“But when they choose to investigate the boat, it’s quite a special experience.”
The wildlife tour also saw ‘hundreds’ of common dolphins(Image: Marine Discovery Penzance)
The minke whale was the “icing on the cake” of the wildlife tour last Monday (September 21) as Duncan said the group of 12 passengers had also witnessed “hundreds” of common dolphins and tuna during the trip.
“On that day, I think we saw hundreds of common dolphins and tuna, so it was already exciting for the passengers and then we saw the minke whale so it was really the icing on the cake,” he said.
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