Baleen whales have a divided blow hole, kind of like your nose. Toothed whales only have a single blow hole. Different species of cetaceans can be discerned by there spouts more or less. Some times this is just a quick up and down motion, other times the whales may leave there heads above the water for extended times. Spy hoping may be an aid in navigation, or perhaps the whale just wants to see something on the surface.
Whales see quite well both above water and below.
There eyes contain powerful muscles that change the shape of the lens to allow it to focus both below and above the surface. Before slipping totally underwater the tail or fluke is shown. Breaching is where a whale propels much of there body out of the water. I have seen whale do this 11 or 12 times in a row. I might be a man whale showing off to the lady whales, it might be to dislodge lice and barnacles, or it might just be whales having a good time.