What Lenses Should I Take for Whale Watching via Sailboat?

KariP wrote:

Jazz1 wrote:

ddessert wrote:

Jazz1 wrote:

Great idea to speak with the skipper! From your observations I am wondering if there is a downside to Whale watch from a sailboat. Their website says a sailboat is beneficial as there is no motor sound to scare them. On the other hand, I do remember Whale watching on a motorized boat in Vancouver (this was many years ago). The benefit there was the Captain could stop the boat and the whales got relatively close.

With the sailboat you’ve got a huge built-in obstacle. You may need to reposition yourself a considerable distance on deck for your shots. Consider mobility with perhaps multiple camera bodies hanging on you. Others will be moving around on deck too, so consider that any gear on deck could get stepped on.

Also, positioning to have the sun behind you will be much more difficult, if not impossible in a sailboat. We sometimes stared into bright water reflections which was acceptable but harsh for the binocular viewers but as a photographer this was when I didn’t take any shots and looked the other away from the sun for as-yet unseen whales.

Hmmmm. Maybe I should stick with a non-sailboat tour?

Some sailboats are bigger and the sails are not always an obstacle - sometimes other gear might be (like ropes)

Sailboat is more stable and the engine is not causing vibrations ...

IMO "chasing" whales with a motorboat is not always OK - perhaps some companies are more friendly..

And if you do not see many whales a sailing boat can be more comfortable

This is not a very modern boat..

Many thanks! Very valuable information. My only experience with sailboats are 12-22" daysailers on lakes. That is part of what attracted me to a Whale watch tour on a much larger sailboat!