Two blue whales surprised three young Mallorcans on Wednesday who, without thinking twice, jumped in to swim with them.
The idyllic scene, which took place very close to the coast of Sa Ràpita, left impressive images and an experience that none of the three will ever forget.
It was around 4 p.m. when Tomeu Llabrés, Pere Llull and Toni Baltasar left Sa Ràpita to fish for squid and headed for Cabrera. However, barely four miles from the port, they saw a fin cross their bow.
Following its trail, a few minutes later, two huge whales, a mother and her calf swam under the boat.
“The mother must have been 15 or 20 metres long, three times as long as the boat,” says Tomeu.
The initial surprise, however, gave way to some concern on the part of the captain, who warned them that if the whale lifted its tail, they could be capsized. They did not start the engine, for fear of hurting the whales, and waited until they were a few metres away. It was then that the three young men dove into the sea, fulfilling the dream of many: swimming with blue whales. “It’s the most spectacular thing I’ve ever done in my life,” says Tomeu.
They sailed with them in the area of Es Trenc and took turns to dive and enjoy a few moments alone, in the sea, with two impressive specimens, with nothing in between.
“It was amazing, we saw them at very close range. They were huge. We had the feeling that they were both in perfect condition, they didn’t look sick or injured”.
After 40 idyllic minutes, mother and calf set off out to sea, in the direction of Cabrera.
Like them, the three men followed their own route, towards the area of S’Estanyol, to catch a few squid. It was their lucky day. They returned home with plenty of squid and a story that few can tell.