The problem has to be treated both from the inside and the outside of the ship, so we stopped the engines for a while. Our onboard marine mammals Gavin and Heath put on their diving gear, went down under the water and managed to clear the filter from the outside, using compressed air. Meanwhile our other superheroes, also referred to as the engineers, were working to solve the problems inside the ship.

Gustavos head was put back in place
right after this shot.
©Greenpeace/Jiri Rezac

It's getting late, the sea is calm, and we can see a thunderstorm on the horizon. The Esperanza is steaming southwards again. So is the Japanese whaling fleet, and probably also Mr Splashy Pants.

Between us all and Antarctica lies Australia - maybe somebody will spot Mr Splashy Pants on his way down south?

Australia turned from a whaling nation to a whale watching nation a long time ago. The business is now threatened by the Japanese government's plans to hunt for humpback whales. The humpback is the most acrobatic of whale species, therefore very popular amongst the whale watchers.

The new Australian government is probably still finding its bearings after the election, but I am interested to see how they will deal with the whaling issue. We expect to see a tougher stance on whaling - as was promised by Labor previous to the elections.