Interaction with the Whales

photos copyrighted: upper right: ©Elise Pouliot; lower right: ©Sierra Goodman; lower left: Jodi Frediani; ©Diane Dinkman

There are boundaries between us, little calf, but our songs meet.
Whenever we listen we will hear each other,
the soft harmony of two different singers looking at each other through clear water.

~ Spoken by a whale to a young human girl in the novel Whale Singer by Wilton Katz

Is it really non-intrusive and non-harassing to be in the water with the whales?

The first year I was asked to come on this trip I was thrilled at the very thought of being able to get in the water with these whales I love so much. Yet I had reservations. It is their home, their habitat, and they're in the midst of having babies and mating. Was it possible to be in the water near them and not be disturbing? I didn't want to be party to having a once in a lifetime experience for myself at the expense of harassment to the whales. So I asked a lot of questions and did some research about the boat company and the Silver Banks area. What I learned made me very comfortable getting into the water for two reasons. One, the boat traffic is kept to a minimum of three vessels at a time by regulation of the Dominican Republic government, which has pronounced the area a marine mammal sanctuary. This is in a 75 square mile area. That's a lot of space for four boats! Unlike popular whale watching areas I've visited such as Maui and Stellwagon Bank which are teeming with dozens of whale watching boats, in Silver Banks the ratio of boats to whales makes it very, very easy for whales to avoid us at any time. The isolated location of Silver Bank (an eight hour boat trip from land), making day trips impossible, is likely to keep this ratio favorable to the whales. Secondly, the policy, procedures and personal values of  the vessel's captain (Gene Flipse, www.consciousbreathadventures.com) are based on a deep respect for the whales, and concern for the safety of both whales and humans beyond government regulations. Accordingly, we never, ever enter the water to swim after whales. We wait until whales come to us. And when they do come to our small boats and stay nearby, we don't noisily dive it and aggressively swim up to them. We enter quietly and simply float gently nearby. It is always the whales' choice to come closer to us, stay where they are or leave. And, absolutely no chasing of whales is tolerated, either by boat or by swimming person. I have been on trips to Alaska in small zodiaks where the boat operator/researcher chased whales relentlessly, amidst large, active feeding groups, putting both whales and humans at risk. Gene Flipse would never tolerate such action. The country's regulations coupled with the captain's own practices and values, allow me to say with confidence that our presence with the whales on this trip is neither intrusive or harassing. If it were, I could not participate in it.

Physical Interaction:

Though for the duration of the trip we live aboard the 120 foot Wind Dancer, twice a day for about 4 hours at a time, we cruise through the Silver Banks on small motor vessels looking for whales. During this time we are with the whales both in and out of the water.

Some of the surface behaviors we observe are:

• flipper slapping - using their pectoral fins to slap the water
• tail lobbing - raising their flukes out of the water and slapping them over and over on the surface
• spy hopping - raising just their heads out of the water at a perpendicular angle and looking around
• sounding - slowly lifting their beautiful flukes out of the water as they dive
• ...and the always exciting breaching - throwing their bodies completely out of the water and splashing back down on the surface

Sometimes we are lucky enough to see mothers, calves, escorts or other singular whales come near out boats and just float, swim or roll nearby. Sometimes it seems a calf is learning to breach, trying over and over again to get it right. We also see rowdy groups of males, or a male escorting a female and fighting off other approaching males. At times, many of these activities happen very close to the small boats.

While observing these spectacular surface behaviors is definitely exciting, being in the water with them is entirely different. The energy felt is usually gentle, still and very sacred. When whales approach or are very near our small zodiacs, and are not exhibiting rowdy or aggressive behavior, we are able to quietly slip off the side of a small boat with snorkel, fins and mask to be with the them in their water home. Many, though not all, of the in-the-water experiences are with mothers and calves, sometimes with accompanying escorts. The trust the mothers demonstrate by allowing us near their calves is astounding, and must be earned. It is extremely important not to swim toward the whales, or to express any aggression at all, physically or mentally, but to simply and quietly float above them. It is an experience of inviting the whales to come close if they want to, waiting for when they may be ready, not chasing them. Sometimes we see mothers and calves nursing. Sometimes mothers keep their calves at a distance from us, and other times allow them to closely approach our human group. Sometimes the whales will just barely let us see them and then swim off, other times they stay nearby for an hour or several hours. Sometimes they choose to come so close we can see only small sections of their huge bodies. Sometimes, we can hear the whales singing.

Each encounter is a blessing. Each time it is holy, a sacred opportunity to release any erroneous beliefs we may carry about perceived differences of importance between us and other beings, or about hierarchy among souls. The paradox is that though being so very close to the whales' magnificent, beautiful bodies in the water is such an undeniable thrill, at the same time, it doesn't even seeem to matter that we have bodies when we're together.  There seem to be no differences-- only one spirit, only love. There is no fear, no alarm, no ego. Only love.  There is simply light and love.

"On this globe there is almost endless diversity. Nevertheless, the greater fact is that when it comes to the treasures of the soul, differences vanish. In the place of the heart, only one light shines. This light is the same in all beings." -Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

Emotional and Spiritual Aspects of Being with the Whales:

These interactions and sightings evoke a wide range of emotional reactions and spiritual experiences unique to each participant on the trip. There are typically lots of broad smiles, yelps of joy, fun and silliness, a sense of ecstasy, bliss, serenity, reverence, awe, fulfillment, and quiet joy. Sometimes, too, there can be tears and a sense of overwhelm from the exquisite intensity of it all. Your experience will be uniquely, perfectly yours. No one will impose anything about what you should or should not experience. For most participants, the trip is a deeply spiritual experience; the diverse beliefs of everyone are welcome and respected.

My role as a facilitator is to be available to support you with gentle care, non-judgment and empathy. Morning and evening meditation circles are also offered to provide the opportunity for quiet sharing of sacred moments and personal learning, to begin and end each day with gratitude, peace, and sending love to the whales, and for both guided and silent meditation.

©2000 Elise Pouliot

A few notes from Teresa's first trip journal (1999):

The first time I saw them under water, all life as I previously knew it stopped. After years of surface whale watching with only parts of their bodies visible at a time, after years of watching videos and gazing at photographs of humpbacks underwater, here I was in their water home, and they were right in front of me! There were light rays beaming down all around, allowing me to see them very clearly and making the whole experience even more magical.

The first thing I saw was a long white pec, beautiful and dazzling white in the dark blue water. I thought it was the mother because it was so huge in front of me. Then I saw another even bigger pec, and knew the first belonged to the baby. The baby was above the mother, rolling, twirling and playing. Suddenly they were looking at me. Oh! Little noises of joy rose up from my heart through my throat. I wondered why my mouthpiece felt funny. It was from smiling! It's almost impossible to describe the pure, raw joy, the other-worldliness of being eye to eye with a 45 foot mother whale and her baby in their water home. The trust and love emanating from them was palpable. As the mother continued to look at me I told her I had waited all my life for this moment, and sent them all the love and gratitude I could possibly express for this great privilege of being in their presence. The moment my message was sent I felt a powerful wave of love coming straight from and her wash through me as she said, "thank you for coming."

My whole body tingled. My mask and snorkel once again felt uncomfortable. I was choking, this time from crying. But it didn't matter. A moment of choking was nothing compared to being graced by the physical and spiritual presence of this humpback mother whale and her baby.  It is a grace I will recall the rest of my life.  It's inside me now to access as I can. I know I am forever changed.