Whales, whales and more whales

Today dawned grey and cold.

Liz Slooten (crouching) listens for whales. (Maryann Morin,
Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab, WHOI)

We started looking for whales to the southwest of where we have been working recently. We were interested in a tongue of the canyon that looped northeast, with a nice loop around the 1,000-meter contour, but there was nothing to be seen or heard, so we headed back offshore and went northeast to an area where we had been finding whales earlier in the cruise. Before we knew it we were spoiled for choice.

Tag on! (Will Rayment, University of Otago)

Andreas and Micah piled into the kayak, along with their gas sampling gear and breathalyser funnel system, and off they paddled. A pair of sperm whales sensed them coming, turned and proceeded to do a number of spyhops. It seemed as this if they were curious about this hitherto unseen contraption that had arrived in their patch of ocean. Indeed, the kayak and the spyhopping whales came very close to each other, but unfortunately a spyhop does not include a breath, so their breath remained unsampled. However, Julie van der Hoop was finally able to get some infrared imagery of sperm whale blows, something we have been waiting to do until the conditions were calm enough to avoid any water on the camera.

We then managed to get a couple of tags deployed later in the afternoon over the space of half an hour. Meanwhile, Archie the aerial camera was feeling confident after yesterday's trials ashore, so Don and Wayne did some trials around the ship. When an opportunity arose, Archie sallied forth over a tagged
whale and acquired good aerial images before returning
safely home. To be able to do this in a rolling swell is a
huge accomplishment. Don and Wayne have worked
through the many challenges they have faced and come
up smiling.

Archie's view of a tagged whale.
(Don Leroi, Aerial Imaging Solutions and
Wayne Perryman, SWFSC, NOAA)

It is wonderful to have Liz Slooten from the University of Otago and the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust aboard now, with her extensive knowledge of these animals, the area, and acoustic tracking. We miss Luis lamar, but in his stead we have Maryann Morin, also from the Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab at WHOI. So welcome aboard to Liz and Maryann.