While every day on the water is very
special to me, some days stick out in my memory more than others. Today
happened to be just one such day. We were cruising around, taking photographs
of the whales for identification purposes, trying to fiddle with our acoustic
equipment and suddenly Salva shouts, “what is that?” We turn around quick and
there IT was….. A small black stumpy log that was puffing occasionally but
otherwise, not doing much. Thankfully Salva started clicking, which is why I
have a photo to share with you all. I cannot stress how important it is document
unusual sightings in as many ways possible – photographs, behaviour and other
notes – this kind of information is what allows us to determine what it is we
are seeing. Good thing the team worked rapid fire because before we knew it,
that creature had descended into the depths. We all agreed that it was a dolphin of some sort but it
was something I hadn’t seen before. Once back at the house, we downloaded the
photos and flipped through the pages of our field guide book and based on its behaviour we found it….a dwarf sperm whale! How ridiculously exciting for me!! A new species to
add to my life list and such a elusive one at that!
Moments like this remind me of how
mysterious the ocean can be and how many secrets we are yet to uncover…it
reminds me how lucky we are to live in an age when we can still see these
magnificent creatures despite humanity’s cruelty.... It reminds me how very lucky
and blessed I am to do what I do and do what I love....thank you for letting me share my adventures with you!
For a more in depth description on this species visit the
American Cetacean Society website http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/pygmy-sperm-whale/
