Stranded Whale in Oban Bay

Was Moby Dick in Oban Bay ?

He might not have been Moby but we could see that he was definitely a Large Juvenile Sperm Whale.

Well today was the last day of our West Coast Exploratory trip and while I didn't manage to wet a line due to family commitments combined with the cold and bright weather over the weekend. We did get a chance to visit Oban Bay last night and this morning having heard from the Easdale Island Ferry Man that there was a forty five foot Juvenille Sperm Whale swimming in the Sound of Kerrera between Oban and Kerrera Island.

So, last night on the way home from a trip to Easdale we nicked into Oban Harbour to have a look for ourselves as, driving into Oban,  I could see folk had gathered on the harbour wall looking out towards the water. I mentioned to my wife and the kids that I had seen folk whale watching and they were like c'mon it's not April Fools day yet ! However, when we got to the car park they were like wow, so they are.

Anyway, I got out of the car and had a chat with a couple of folk and was amazed to hear that they had in fact seen the young whale when he had surfaced for around 5 minutes taking in and exhaling air before sounding off again. So, this morning on the way to the Sea Life Sanctuary near Oban, I decided to make a wee detour via Oban as the weather was so nice. The kids stayed in the car as I didn't think there was much of a chance but when I go to where some folk were standing it became obvious that the whale had surfaced and there he was about 500m off shore just drifting along and blowing off every 45 seconds or so.

Quickly, I went back to the car to get the kids and they too witnessed this once in a lifetime event of an Adolescent Sperm Whale in the Sound of Kerrera.  I think all three of us felt amazed and privileged to see the young whale so far off route and my seven year old is still talking about how she saw the whale right now. After drifting south with the current for about five minutes, and just as I was watching through the binoculars, I saw his light grey back begin to roll just before his small dorsal slipped below the surface.


From what I understand efforts are currently under way to mount a rescue mission to try and herd the young fella out of the bay.   

The whale is in the picture to the left of the yellow buoy in the centre unfortunately the lens didn't have the required capability to pick out the detail. ( All Rights Reserved Fishinscotland.co.uk )

If I'd just of had some Squid Bait, I could've been in for the fight of my life - LOL ;-)

( You couldn't make it up if you tried. This report may have been posted on April fool's day but it can be confirmed as genuine from various sources which are equally as reliable as this site. Full West of Scotland exploratory trip report tomorrow. )