A Whale Saved Me From a Tiger Shark: My Emotional Reunion With a Humpback Whale
Key Highlights :
When I was a child growing up in Pennsylvania, my family rehabilitated wild animals, and I was often taken to Bermuda to watch the whales off the shore. I developed a deep love for them and wanted to know more about what they got up to underwater. So, after 30 years of studying whales, I was working on a film about whale conservation in the Cook Islands in 2017, when I had a life-changing encounter with a humpback whale.
Slipping into the water wearing a snorkel mask and a GoPro, I saw a couple of humpbacks in the distance. As I swam towards them, one of the male humpbacks came right up to me, nuzzling me with his head and pushing me through the water. I was caught off-guard, but tried to keep calm as I pushed myself away. Then, the whale swam underneath me and lifted me out of the water on his flipper. I signalled to the boat, and he pushed me back under.
Suddenly, I noticed a second, smaller whale with a tail that moved side to side – it was a huge, 18ft tiger shark. The shark had arched its body, with its pectoral fins pointed downward, which meant that it was in attack mode. I yelled out to the boat but, before I knew it, the whale had positioned me on the front of his head and was gracefully racing through the water. I was terrified but also strangely at peace. After seven and a half minutes, he had safely returned me to the boat and out of the shark’s way.
I felt love, concern and care from the whale. I told him that I loved him and thanked him as he swam off. I felt more motivated than ever to protect these beings. After the video of my encounter was shared on social media, I received thousands of emails from awestruck people.
Just over a year later, I was on a boat around the Rarotongan reef when I heard of a whale sighting in the harbour. I recognised him from the notches in his tail and the scar on his head – it was the same whale who had protected me. I slid overboard and swam towards him; he approached and looked me in the eye. I rubbed his face and he extended his pectoral fin. We stayed together for 20 minutes before he swam away. It was a beautiful, emotional reunion.
My encounter with the humpback whale was incredible, but also extremely dangerous. I don’t encourage people to get into the water with whales – too often, it’s done to satisfy the human ego and get a selfie. With advances in technology, I now rely more on cameras set up on the side of my boat to study their behaviour, to avoid interfering.
My experience with the whale was a reminder of the incredible bond between humans and animals, and of the importance of protecting these incredible creatures.
