touch a whale

If you want to be technical they’re dolphins, but they all fit into the general category…I want to move up to the bigger ones. Like a Right whale or a Grey Whale…

We’re planning a trip to Orlando, going to be staying at Disney, also going to Seaworld, possibility is there, slim chance, but at least it’s a chance!

When I was 14 years old (in the 1980s), I was vacationing with my mother in Victoria, B.C., Canada. There was this whale there called “Miracle” – an Orca. He had been named Miracle because he had been found in the wild (when he was young) almost dead. I believe he’d been injured by a boat. The Victoria aquarium (SeaLand) nursed him back to health, but weren’t sure he’d make it out in the wild, so he became their main attraction.

Between shows, Miracle would play fetch with a piece of seaweed with anyone who was nearby. I got to play fetch with him. He would propel himself out of the water and really reach for me. I would reach for him and grab the seaweed out of his mouth and throw it. He would go get it and swim back to me. It was amazing! In the process of grabbing the seaweed, I touched the tip of his nose. He was a most gentle and magnificent creature. This encounter provoked a lifelong love of whales.

was his name, a beautiful Orca whale. It was during my trip to MarineLand in Ontario a couple years ago. Boy was it such an amazing experience. I was able to touch him and feed him, although I was tempted to ask the trainer if I could rub his tongue (haha). I think they are such majestic creatures, I was completely awe-struck being that close to such a huge animal.

I did feel sad, though, for the whales. There were 3 or 4 that I could see in what seemed to me like a very small tank, although I know there was more to their environment than we could see.

They feel sorta like a hard boiled egg, but firmer. I’ve been lucky enough to have this experience, I will never forget it. It’s amazing to make contact with something so different from ourselves.