I read lots and lots of trip reports. Some of them are really good and make me want to leap out of my seat and rush to the nearest airport, speed to some remote destination, and jump in the water. Others…uh…not so good. When I found Hobnobbing With Sperm Whales in the Azores, I thought it’d be another nice little piece about one guy’s near-adventures seeing some smudges in the distance that might’ve been a sperm whale. However, by the time I finished reading Wayne Hughes’ piece, I was totally enthralled.

Hughes and some friends traveled to the Azores specifically to observe and record behavior of sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales. Lucky for them, the guide found a group of five whales, dominated by a 36-foot-long female, and ranging through a variety of sizes down to a young calf. Hughes slipped into the water with the animals, wearing snorkeling gear and toting his camera, and he relates what happens in this piece. I think the pictures that accompany the article are excellent, and Hughes’ writing – colorful and dynamic – makes the scene come alive. I envy him, and his experience. Check it out.