whale wonder

Our first fully rested day at Isla Clarion was one to remember.
We awoke to several sets of mother and baby whales nursing in the bay where we're anchored. The young ones would go in for a feed and then surface with a light blow while the mothers rested at the surface. It was a serene moment at this unique paradise.
We loaded up the dinghy and headed for the Pedros Pinnacle on the northwest corner of the island. When we arrived at the GPS coordinates, given to us by the live-aboard dive boat Nautilus Explorer, there was a significant 10-foot swell pumping and the site was too precarious for us alone in our dinghy. We decided to circumnavigate and saw dramatic red cliffs, and an incredible rock monument on the northeast tip. This was another dive spot, but the waves created limited visibility, so we continued on to the third location recommended to us.
JACKPOT!
We dove at a large rock formation about 1/2 nautical mile offshore of the southeast point in 50-140 feet of water. It was an awesome dive with insane visibility, between 70-80 feet, and warmer temperatures. There were thousands of fish, gigantic trumpetfish, massive lobsters in a cool cave, a deep swim-through, turtles and octopuses.
Near the end of our dive, I looked up and what did I see..........A HUMPBACK WHALE! I couldn't believe my eyes, it was the most amazing and one of the luckiest things ever. It's so rare to see one swim through a dive site, but you couldn't miss this 25-30 foot giant. After we surfaced, we saw the whales a few hundred yards away from our dinghy.
My heart was soaring all afternoon, and I felt giddy for hours from the experience.
After a lunch of fresh seared-tuna tacos, we jumped back in the pangita and dove in a protected cove close in the next bay north of the anchorage. It was a shallow dive with lots of big rocks, coral, fish and white-tip reef sharks. We also found what must be the largest lobster alive!
We're extremely stoked to be here and can't wait for tomorrow!