Wahoo Blues!

(Written on Apr 30, 2014)
Our first research in this area was conducted without such a fine mother ship. We are getting soft now!  Photo credit M. Jenner

Our first research in this area was conducted without such a fine mother ship. We are getting soft now!
Photo credit M. Jenner

Gathering colleagues with a promise of a day out with blue whales, Whale Song slipped out into the 10 o’clock night on Tuesday April 29, 14 to get in position for a good weather window.  The focus of this research is to satellite tag pygmy blue whales in the Perth Canyon to follow their movements and document feeding strategies.  With ‘Ivory’ already tagged a couple of days previously and with its’ positions still in the Canyon we were keen to head towards it with our boatload of whale enthusiasts.  Thirteen personnel on board included a whole new set of eyes to help Inday at all points of the compass, including  Carrie (from CWR), Sacha-belle (from Curtin Uni), Claire (from Curtin Uni), Stephanie (from South Africa) and Jamie (from CMST at Curtin Uni) to help with the observations.  The boat was abuzz with the chance of cetacean happiness, as we transited towards the canyon.

With all eyes scanning and scanning, very soon the call came from the fly-bridge that a whale had been seen!  Stephanie had put herself on the board!  Immediately, Russ began preparing the tags (the Whale Lander and the LIMPET tags), Simon got the biopsy gear and I checked/gathered all my equipment (notebook, still cameras and several GoPros) for time in Orca.  Sam and Resty readied Orca, our research boat, while Curt initiated the lift preparation.  Next the Orca crew donned spray jackets, helmets and lifejackets.  The first blow had been sighted at 0738 in the morning.  By 0833 we were in Orca and on the move towards pod 1, the whale billowing nearby!

Here it comes! Out of the water the whale surfaces with an almighty 'whoosh'!  Photo credit M. Jenner

Here it comes! Out of the water the whale surfaces with an almighty ‘whoosh’!
Photo credit M. Jenner

Right off the bat we were beside ‘White Blaze’, a 22 m long pygmy blue whale with a white patch in front of the dorsal, an easy identifier.  I got LD and RD photos but there wasn’t an opportunity to deploy the Whale Lander Tag.  The 1.5 m swell lifted us and lowered us nicely over the waves but from the water level, we were totally dependent on the keen observations of the crew on the fly-bridge relayed over the VHF.  With the calls from Whale Song, (positioned one half to three-quarters of a mile behind Orca), regarding observed blows at a given bearing and distance, we sped off over the waves to each new sighting.  Pretty soon we realised that there were multiple pods of pygmy blue whales in the area, especially when five blows at various positions were seen simultaneously.

Skipping over the water at the top of the swell, we were at the top of the world!  In the trough, even with a whale beside us, we could barely see the animal on the other side of the swell.  At moments between whale surfacings I rummaged in my bag at the stern and tried to placate the rumbling tummies with the hope of food. ‘The stern smorgasbord is open!’ I informed my crew, hoping that apples, museli bars, ANZAC biscuits, bananas and delicious water on the menu, would satisfy.  ‘That’s not a smorgasbord!’ Russ declared!  Despite the boys’ disappointment, several snacks were consumed and kept us operating, even past lunch and well beyond.

During the day the fly-bridge crew had more and more sightings from all points of the compass, so it became clear that we had many whales in the area and also a pair of whales that were slowly zig-zagging northward with ¾ nm between them and taking us along too…  Would we be having fish ‘n’ chips in Jurien Bay soon?

The blue streak of a Pygmy Blue whale as it nears the surface!  Photo credit M. Jenner

The blue streak of a Pygmy Blue whale as it nears the surface!
Photo credit M. Jenner

With each approach the clear water revealed the beautiful whale below.  Streaks of blue in the sea heralded each whales surfacing.  On board Orca, we were all stations go! The glowing blue beside Orca transfixed us and with this beauty, certainly a first-timer at this could be overwhelmed and at risk of zoning out… No such luck for us, after 14 years of this activity, zoning out is not an option!  I feel my most alive while here, with the whales.  Tracking the whale underwater while swimming beside us and about 10-20 m below, you can feel your heart rate quickening.  I check the camera on the pole behind me, rotate it the right way, turn it on, now turn on my helmet GoPro, write the time the whale went down, check my D800 battery and that the lens is free of water spots… Here it comes, here comes the whale, the pectoral fins are outstretched either side of the torpedo-shaped body… any second now!  Oh, down again, ok.  ‘Still there, now moving to the left, now right’.  From the bow, Russ guides Curt, our driver.  Our bodies are tense and ready, this is supreme excitement.  Just off to the side the blue streak becomes larger and still larger, ‘Here it comes!’ ‘Ok, here we go!’ Curt calls and with a burst of speed we get up beside the ever-increasing blue streak.  Breaking the water surface our 22 m whale rose – exhaling with an almighty whoosh!  Curt expertly manoeuvred Orca and everyone braced themselves at their stations, Russ on the bow, Simon behind, Curt driving and I have the aft section to scurry around in.

This is the action we have been waiting for.  The blue-grey speckled body surged nearby as Russ deftly placed the satellite tag on the mid left flank with the pole, a biopsy sample was collected and I clicked away on my stills camera with the two GoPros in my charge (on my head and on the stern pole) filming the whole thing!  Without even thinking, a deep-down and loud wahoo swirled out from my toes.  So loud in fact, that the Whale Song observers could hear from the fly-bridge and knew exactly what had just happened! Immediate venting of anticipation is manifest by way of these wahoos!  Sometimes, perhaps usefully, as they cover some of the other language uttered at the same time! ‘Yes!’ Was the overall exclamation! ‘Tag Away at 1423 (LT)’ I scribbled on my notes.  This whale immediately received the handle ‘Blue Lander’, being the successful recipient of this Whale Lander Tag!  I quickly checked my still images to make sure I had the deployment, we retrieved the biopsy dart and then we turned off all the cameras.  We followed the pair immediately to obtain a post-tagging photographic record but with the slightly lower position made it hard to find again.

Throughout the following couple of hours of the afternoon still more whales were seen by Whale Song and us in Orca.  With the swell increasing to 2m, some of the whale approaches of the next pods were very interesting.  Twenty metre long whales almost surfing through the waves towards us took our breath away.  The steepness and surprisingly large size of the splashguard was very evident as they came towards us and perhaps as well, these features were accentuated from such an angle.  The rising swell made Whale Song almost disappear from our view.  With only the tips of her masts showing at times, likely when we were both in a trough, reminded me of the 11,000 nm Curt and I have spent in this area unaccompanied in our previous RIB (Rigid-hull Inflatable Boat).  You see, once I was very tall and have been pounded very small by all our sea work!

'Hook' has a goose-necked barnacle attached to the very tip of it's hooked dorsal fin.  Photo credit M. Jenner

‘Hook’ has a goose-necked barnacle attached to the very tip of its’ hooked dorsal fin.
Photo credit M. Jenner

With storm clouds looming above our beloved Whale Song and all around we called it a day in Orca after 8 hours of bouncing.  At 1635, the Whale Song crew retrieved us by slewing Orca inboard in a slick operation.  Everyones’ hard work had made the day a success!  The whole crew was busy, Dale drove Whale Song, the fly-bridge crew spotted whales endlessly, Resty prepared lunch and dinner and Sam helped out anywhere possible.  Over the course of the day, 12-15 individual whales had been observed in the area, some were on the move north on relatively straight courses, others zig-zagging and still others stopped to mill or circle.  From Orca we collected at least 6 photo-ids on these pygmy blue whales of the dorsal fin and surrounding lateral body.  For the sake of recognising animals we always name them on the first sighting.  On this day, in order of encounter we had ‘White Blaze’ (with a white patch forward of the dorsal fin), ‘Hook’ (a hooked dorsal fin with a goose-necked barnacle attached at the very tip of the hook), ‘Chop’, (an animal that had a deep chop out of the dorsal fin giving it a very distinctive profile), ‘Blue Lander’ (the whale that received the Whale Lander Tag) and ‘Hi Point’ (a whale with a dorsal fin of a straight and pointed shape).

Stepping back onboard the wonderful smells of roast pork greeted our hungry bellies.  A warm cup of tea presented by Sacha-belle went down a treat as I settled in to write up the notes and make sense of our crazy day!  The table was laid and Resty’s scrumptious dinner was served at 7pm.  Roast pork, with tasty gravy from Jamie, mountains of mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, garlic green beans and salad filled our tummies.  Chocolate mud cake and cream was served to celebrate the second satellite tag deployed and the first Whale Lander Tag attached to a pygmy blue whale in Australia!  Before and after dinner all the GoPros were downloaded and we started watching the exciting proceedings of the day and sharing photos all around.  With 5 GoPros and one still camera on Orca, we had things covered!  Four still and one video camera on Whale Song, also had things covered!  These situations are no longer ‘Kodak moments’ but ‘hard-drive moments’!

Returning to our pen in the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour ahead of another approaching low, we tied up at 2 am the next morning.  What a wonderful day had by all!  By 830 am on May 01, 14, all our visitors had breakfasted and were making their way homeward or office-ward – no doubt with stories to tell of their blue whale, high seas adventure!

Delirious to be on the high seas again!

Mich

P.S. To catch up on the next Blue Blog, please check next Monday!

 

 

 

 

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