Subscribe to RSS FeedNovember 11, 2011
10 Facts About Humpback Whales
Written by Amos Nachoum
According to NBC News, a pair of 40-ton giants got dangerously close to a surfer in Santa Cruz, California. The US Coast Guard isn’t saying for sure, but there are many reports of more humpbacks coming closer to shore than ever. Some whale experts, like those at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, say this is something to worry about. They’re concerned about people getting hurt.
NBC quoted Kera Mathes of the Aquarium as saying “Being that close to an 80,000-pound whale when it’s coming up and looking for food isn’t safe,” she said. “When these surfers and kayakers are so close, it definitely poses a danger to the whale and those in the water.”
She’s right… but I believe it’s possible to get close to this remarkable animals, and get close safely.
Here are ten facts about Humpbacks from the American Cetacean Society and from my experience.
- They belong to the same family as the blue whale, fin whale, Bryde’s whale, sei whale and minke whale.
- The females are bigger than the males: from 45-50 feet to the males’ 40-48.
- Humpbacks feed on krill, small shrimp-like animals, and small fish and eat up to 1.5 tons of food a day.
- Baleen plates, not teeth, trap their food to be swallowed.
- Humpbacks are acrobatic, breeching their 40 tons completely out of the water.
- They sing, and their songs are complex with each population singing its own unique song.
- Their songs are not inborn – they learn them from each other.
- The are capable or migrating the globe, from Antartica to the Pacific.
- They breed, give birth and care for their newborn calves in the warm waters of Tonga.
- If you want the best pictures of them, you’ll need a wide angle lens and will need to learn how to safely swim close to them.
I’ve got dozens of years’ experience photographing Humpback whales, and I know the way to get the best photograph is to treat them respectfully and free dive close. I’ve trained adventurers to do this over 10-day expeditions that I lead, and I have picked the tropical paradise of Tonga for this. Not only is it the very definition of an island paradise, but it is prime territory for the Humpbacks during their breeding period. As you free dive among them on this adventure, you’ll see mother and calf interacting and the bulls tail-slapping and breeching. Would you like to join me? My next Humpback whale adventure departs August 20, 2012.
Coming up right away next year is my adventure in the Carribean to see the largest carnivore in the world – the Sperm whale. There are only a few spaces left, so get in touch with me to reserve yours. Sperm whales were among the world’s most hunted animals – almost driven to extinction. But how they have made the best comeback in the history of wildlife with almost as many now as there were a hundred years ago. Sperm whales are the easiest whales to approach – they are curious and friendly as they socialize in pods of five to thirty. For this encounter, Big Animals Expeditions has teamed with Andrew Armour, known in the diving commmunity as the ‘whale whisperer.’ We will be on his boat, the Domnik. Download the PDF flyer now.
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We live on the island of Vava’u, in the Vava’u island group of Tonga. Not only do the whales spend their calving and breeding season here, but Tonga is the only place where you are allowed to swim in the water and interact with these playful and beautiful creatures. You must go out with a licenced ‘swimming with whales’ operator, be careful as there is a difference between ‘whale watching’ and ‘swimming with the whales’, not all operators are licensed to approach and swim with them.
The Vava’u island group is by far the best for whale interacting, and is utterly beautiful, with a friendly, welcoming, low-key atmosphere. If you’re looking for 5 star hotels, this is not the place but there are several great places to stay, some beachfront.
It is also a wonderful ‘yachty’ destination, with fabulous safe ports and amazing sailing among the many deserted islands, with great reefs, wonderful sand and great snorkeling and diving. Neiafu, the island’s town, has an excellent marine mechanic and an aluminum welder/fabricator, supply outfitters, and lots of other folks to help in any way needed.
The culture of the Tongans is charming, welcoming, and above all, happy and abundant. Tonga is a true, unspoiled South Pacific paradise.
Oh yes, Alaska is wufoerndl. I have been to Alaska twice, once traveling on the Alaskan Highway through Canada and entering Alaska through Tok, a little border town. I continued backpacking through Denali and the home of the grizzlies and many more amazing animals. I also traveled once through the inside passage by ferry. Alaska had given me a special feeling of the last frontier. I now think though, that our last frontier is space.I had an experience of serenity and tranquility at one of my visits to the Washington DC area. Before that, I had an extraordinary difficult encounter with someone I dealt with on a daily basis professionally. The controversy was a difference of opinion, and it was very stressful. Personal insults were thrown at me, which I did not reply to, because I was determined to handle this in a correct way, but it nevertheless was painful. Then, I left for a planned visit to the Washington DC area with a lot of angry and hostile feelings toward this person. There, in the Washington DC area, I had an opportunity to watch one of the IMAC movies of the Hubble telescope in space, “through the eyes of the Hubble Telescope”, at the space museum. I watch this movie in awe, and traveled with the Hubble Telescope through space. It even took me into and through the black hole, also through the area of the “nursery” where stars were born, and many more exciting places in space. I sat there and watch the movie, and felt this feeling of tranquility and serenity go over me as I have never felt before. This world of ours which is part of this immense universe, amazes me and just relaxed me. It gave me different perspectives of many things. Gone were my angry feelings towards this person, gone were the stresses of my anxiety towards this person. I realized, that we humans were such minute beings in the context of what is around us in space, beyond our limited “world”. Why would I be stressed about anything so mundane as personal insults thrown at me. I am just traveling through this life on this world called Earth temporarily, and I am going to enjoy the ride.