"And God created great whales, and every living creature... which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind." Gen. 1:21.
Some humpbacked whales are 50 feet long and weigh 40 tons. They are extremely strong, with big flippers and huge, flat tails controlling their motions. They can swim 25 miles per hour and at times dive nearly a mile below the surface. Although they seem gentle and playful they can be dangerous, too. Anyone closing in on a mother with her calf will find her quite ready to smash their small boat with a slap of her tail.
Looking down on one of these whales from above, its black back is not easy to distinguish from the dark water, and looking up from underneath, its white underparts blend with the sky. These safeguards represent provisions of the Creator, helping to protect them from their enemies—principally men above and sharks and killer whales below.
Of all mammals, whales are most perfectly at home in water, although they have to come up for air from time to time. Rising to the surface, they get rid of the stale air in their lungs through a "blowhole" on their backs. This makes what looks like a waterspout rising 12 feet or more into the air, but is actually just hot vapor condensing as their used air hits the cold atmosphere. Those who hunt whales (mostly just Eskimos now) watch for these "spouts" to locate their prey.
The greatest number of humpbacks are in the Pacific Ocean, many spending winters in the cold waters of Alaska and the Bering Sea where food is plentiful. Their thick coat of blubber keeps them warm in these cold waters. In springtime they migrate—some to Mexico and some to Hawaii (distances of about 6000 miles). Both places provide warm tropical waters where the females give birth to their babies (which are called calves) and shortly thereafter all return North. In the Atlantic similar migrations are made from northern Canadian waters to southern areas. These migrations are watched by people along those shores, just as they are watched on the West Coast.
We may wonder how these big creatures know when it is time to leave for the southern waters and how they find their way over such a great distance. You may have heard that recently one did get confused, left the ocean at San Francisco's Golden Gate and would have died if people hadn't managed to get it back to the ocean. But that was a rare exception of one that did not follow the God-given instincts that guide and instruct them.
How much more important it is for us to know the way to heaven, for we can never get there by our own efforts. The only way is by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, who said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." John 14:6. Are you trusting in that Way?