Should you go whale watching? 5 reasons why YES

Humpback Whale breaching at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

"This is called my ‘whale of a good time’ zone and I want you to be part of it."   

Does anyone else feel like this US election season is the equivalent of a toxic barrel of radioactive waste, rolled into a pile of animal excrement inside the remnants of a hollowed out shell of a poached elephant corpse?

Rather than subject you to my political thoughts or venture down this landmine of horrific psychological stew, I’d like to instead invite you into my happy place. A place where everything is fun and great and your mind is screeching with absolute and utter joy. This is called my ‘whale of a good time’ zone and I want you to be part of it.   
Welcome to my top 5 reasons to go whale watching.

(1) They’re enormous.
Yes, that is a reason. You cannot witness a literal giant in its natural habitat and not feel something inside. Such feelings may include “Holy shit, this thing could actually swallow me whole;” and “That thing is pretty much a modern dinosaur;” You may also think “I don’t know if I can go on knowing that there are things that size just out there, swimming around.”

(2) They’re elusive.
Scratch that, they’re elusive but not too elusive. Let’s be real, if they were that hard to find it would kind of be a huge bummer. No, they are just hard enough to find that venturing out into the middle of the ocean and doing a bit of detective work gives you the kind of satisfaction that only finding elusive but not too elusive animals can.

Sperm Whale diving deep in Kaikoura, New Zealand

(3) They’re mammals.
Yeah, they’re pretty much you. They are warm blooded and need to breathe air and if I learned anything in elementary school it was that whales are mammals. But seriously though, they sing and have feelings and are the kindred king of the water spirit to us, the king of the land. Except they can hold a breath for like 45 minutes and are not such assholes.

(4) They’re playful.
If they’re in the mood, whales can entertain the hell out of you. They can jump just to show off, slap the water with their fins to tell another whale to get lost, make noises louder than a jet plane and of course crush you with their tail if they want to. But they don’t. They are more like gargantuan, curious pacifists that would rather eat small krill all day long than the occasional giant meal.

Whales are so cool that even sharks want to be whales. (Whale Shark at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia)

(5) They are mesmerizing.
If you want to know what awe feels like, watch a whale jump out of the water and just try not to crap your pants. I dare you. You can’t even do it. When a whale jumps out of water or “breach” as us experts call it, your mind is so blown by the utter and total majesty of the experience that you cannot help but crap your pants.

​In conclusion, do yourself a favour and go find a whale tour to be one with nature and get real with yourself. Run, save yourself from the negativity that is swimming around your Facebook page and instead swim with a giant that is pretty much you.

Author - Meghan Advent

​Meg is one of the co-creators of Travelher and lives and breathes travel. She currently works for an e-commerce travel company in New Zealand and often sells herself on cruises and motorhome trips. Meg misses her family back in Canada and wishes someone would invent the teleport already.