§1.  A while ago, my friend Olivia was telling me about a whale-watching trip she’d been on, in Canada. I wanted to tell her I was about to do the same thing, off the north coast of the UK, where my grandparents live. Whales had recently appeared there again, and my grandparents were convinced we’d see some  — so I was sure my trip would be as good as Olivia’s! But then I saw some reviews of the trip my dad had booked for us, when no one had seen any whales at all. So, in the end, I decided not to tell Olivia anything about my trip, in case it wasn’t successful!

§2.  Anyway, dad and I set off on our trip  — which was dad’s idea  — and it was fantastic! Travelling out to sea on the tour boat with our guide, we soon reached the spot where whales often appeared. Then we waited  — and nothing happened. I was sure this wouldn’t last, though. People kept calling out they’d seen one, which was exciting  — but then it turned out they were wrong. Then finally I saw something move under the water  — a minke whale (белый по­ло­са­тик)! So I felt like a hero for the rest of the trip!

§3.  The whale was a wonderful sight, with its huge back not far from the boat. Our guide said it was around five tonnes in weight and around 10 metres long. Yet, in spite of its size, it swam alongside us at speed, and with little effort. We waited to see if more appeared, and some time later, we saw three more some distance away, that kept diving under the water and coming up again. Then just after I’d filmed them, they disappeared.

§4.  Although the water’s less deep around the coast, larger whale species appear in the area with minke whales, feeding on fish. But minkes are curious creatures, so they’re more likely to approach tourist boats  — which was why we were successful! Then later, up on the cliffs, we looked out to sea, searching for signs of whales. Sometimes seabirds diving into the water means whales are around, as they’re stealing the whales’ meal. We were unlucky, sadly  — but we’ll be back!