Awestruck!!!

I've been doing my thing quietly at Strumble now for around 4 years and as far as cetacean sightings go there's been bad days, not so bad days, good days and very good days. In all that time I've seen all our regulars and indeed some very rare sightings. Today however has to be right up there at the top of it all thanks to some totally awesome Rissos action. It started around noon as some thirty or so Rissos moved in from the west around a mile and a half out. Pitty they weren't closer I thought. Then in the lower portion of the bino lens I sighted some fins and to my delight it was three or four Rissos around two hundred metres out. They splashed around for a few minutes and then moved out to join the larger pod. I watched as they all moved off toward Cardigan and eventually out of sight.

Cliff, Holly our two new interns Yens and Laura as well as a young lady on work experience (sorry forgot her name) arrived and we settled in to spotting Porpoise as the tide race formed.  It wasn't long however that I spotted the Rissos off to the NE moving back our way. Slowly they came closer but the main pod was still keeping well out. Several came in at a reasonable distance and gave our newbies a decent view as they passed by. We watched them move off to the west and following a further fifteen minutes or so spotting the last of the porps we decided to call it a day. They all went ahead as I packed my things and got Leo the porp hound ready to go. I waved them off as I got back to the car and stowed my kit in the boot. I always take one last look out over the sea and I'm so glad I did it this time too. A few hundred metres out I spotted several Rissos moving quickly toward me being very surface active as they came. Wow! Wow! Wow! What a show they put on. I have never seen Rissos this active before and it's as if they just wanted to have fun like Bottlenose do. There was leap frogging, breaching, rolling, chasing, fast turns, and all manner of stunts. I was surprised to see a very young baby in amongst them having just as much fun and going all out to enjoy the moment. That is exactly what I was doing. The sheer thrill of seeing these half ton animals being so free and exuberant can only fill you with total joy and awe. A day that will be in my memory for ever. Enjoy the pics folks.