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Sperm Whales of the Azores (2008-07-18)
It is a mere 21 years since whaling ceased in the Azores. Today the deep waters surrounding these volcanic islands supports a permanent population of sperm whales. Nature's deepest diver and largest toothed predator exploits the region's abundance of squid. Today, its economic contribution is much sounder than its former rendering for oil and fertilizer. The islands now benefit from added tourism that whale watching brings.
I have just returned from my third visit to photograph this iconic leviathan and also record its vocalizations. Our group travelled 460 nautical miles in rigid inflatable boats, and had approximately 100 contacts. These ranged from single males, cow and calf pairs, anxious single calves (whilst mum was down feeding) and mixed pods of up to seven whales. The in water work was done under the controlled conditions of a permit issued by the environmental secretariat in Horta.
In water contact can be a hit or miss affair. The boat drops you 300 - 400 metres ahead and off to the side of an approaching whales and you swim across to intercept their path. Contrary to reputation, they are timid and you are presented with the challenge of swimming fast but silently. You are also alone as this is a requirement of the permit (minimum disturbance for the whales). In rough seas you can often hear them sound before before you can see them.
If you are lucky and they don't turn, the bulbous, submarine like heads will emerge from the gloom. It is not unusual for males to give you a loud sonar burst when 15-20 metres away. This can be distinctly felt as well as heard. Essentially the whale decides the extent and nature of the contact. If you are fortunate they will swim slowly past rather than dive or divert to the side. Making eye contact is perhaps one of the rewarding and uplifting moments of the whole experience.
I used a Nikon D2x camera and 12-24 mm lens in a Nexis Housing for the underwater work. My wife Pam did the topside work with a Nikon D3 and 300 mm f2.8 lens. An M-Audio Microtrack digital recorder and hydrophone were used to record sound. A Garmin GPSMap 60Cx recorded our daily track. The cameras and digital recorder were synchronised to UTS to enable the contact locations to be accurately plotted.
Pam and I were accompanied by fellow explorers club member Wade Hughes and his wife Robyn.
Wayne Osborn July 2008
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