Chapter 3: Swimming With Sperm Whales
with THE Patrick Dykstra
The "brochure" says this about my "guide":
Very well known among the nature documentary field, Patrick Dykstra has filmed for the BBC, National Geographic, Netflix and others. He hosts his own show on Discovery Channel called "Chasing Ocean Giants" and is the co-star of the feature film "Patrick and the Whale". He is renowned for capturing footage of difficult to reach locations and unique landscapes and wildlife and was at the forefront of exploration in Sri Lanka documenting the blue whales, as he was in Norway with the killer whales and humpbacks. Patrick was part of the BBC Blue Planet 2 team for which he received an Emmy nomination and won a BAFTA.
I say this: He is unassuming, seemingly without ego, watching out for us as his guests and clients and showing abundant empathy and an overwhelming drive to assure that we find the elusive sperm whales so that we can swim along side them.
We gathered with Patrick at 8:30 on the Fort Young hotel pier: my fellow guests Mark and Tony, Natural World Safari representative Thalia, Captain Brenton, Assistant in-the-water guide Nigel and first mate Marcus. After boarding our boat, we get a safety briefing and then head out. Around ten, our vessel began to experience mechanical problems. We turned around and made it back to its home marina and made a quick switch to a bigger boat. Then we set off again.
We saw nothing. We stopped and used our hydrophone/location finder to listen for the telltale "clicks" made by sperm whales but heard none. No clicks to the north. No clicks to the south. Nothing doing from the west. So, we went farther north to repeat that process. Then farther north still. Nothing. Mark and Tony were in Sri Lanka looking to swim with whales on a previous trek and went without seeing any whales or even sign of them for their entire week on the water.
Patrick and our crew told us not to worry. I didn't. Mark and Tony did.
We had lunch. Chicken wraps. We looked for whales. We listened for whales. Nothing. I began to doze. Mark started watching tennis on his mobile phone. Tony just felt anxious. Patrick told us stories, explained this and explained that. Still nothing. The sea, thankfully, delivered us a light chop with minimal wind until we arrived at the northern tip of the island where atlantic water and air rushed toward us. It got choppy.
We turned around to head back to the south. Having already scoured those waters looking--but not finding--whales, the day looked to be a bust.
At 2:10, we once more used the hydrophone/location finder and this time there was a sign of life. Clicks. Unlike humpbacks which "sing," sperm whales make distinctive clicking sounds. We found one. Brenton fired up the engines while Marcus stowed the hydrophone. Patrick told us, "Get ready."
Get ready means get your mask, fins and snorkel and make your way to the transom at the back of the vessel. Sit down. Don your gear. Wait for instructions.
After what seemed to be an interminable wait, Brenton cut the engines and Patrick gave the order. "Go." The four us, Mark, Tony, Patrick and I all slid as quietly as we could off the back of the boat and into the water. Then, our instructions were to follow Patrick. We did.
And then, this happened.
These are all Patrick's photos. I have to learn how to edit my GoPro footage and there isn't time before dinner for me to do that. There are many days to come. What I saw, you shall see--if I can figure it out.
In a word: amazing.
I am headed to dinner with the group. I wonder what we will talk about?
