“I often regret being born a terrestrial mammal”. I share my colleagues sentiment. As a marine biologist, many of the most enriching, enchanting and thrilling interactions of a life out to sea, are interacting with the denizens we encounter. Thankfully we can ride the coat-tails of technology to catch a glimpse now and then of what it is like to live a life aquatic.
At about 2 AM, during my watch, three short-beaked common-dolphins rode our bow wave and played around the boat for almost an hour. They glided in the bioluminescent water effortlessly and made our clunky sailboat look as such. It was a brilliant experience standing on the bowsprit with glowing dolphins under my feet leading us through these dark waters. We have seen many cetaceans (whales and dolphins) on this coast. I would estimate that 4/5 sailing days have brought us in viewing proximity of these animals. Not surprisingly, at every point or land prominence we have rounded, there have been whales. Due to the oceanographic phenomenon called upwelling, nutrient rich cold water is brought up from the deep offshore waters into the coastal regions. Land prominences … tend to be focal points of high nutrient flux and therefore tend to be exceedingly productive. Where the food is, whales can be found.
It was a brilliant experience standing on the bowsprit with glowing dolphins under my feet leading us through these dark waters. We have seen many cetaceans (whales and dolphins) on this coast. I would estimate that 4/5 sailing days have brought us in viewing proximity of these animals. Not surprisingly, at every point or land prominence we have rounded, there have been whales. Due to the oceanographic phenomenon called upwelling, nutrient rich cold water is brought up from the deep offshore waters into the coastal regions. Land prominences … tend to be focal points of high nutrient flux and therefore tend to be exceedingly productive. Where the food is, whales can be found.
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