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“Call me Ishmael. Some years ago – never mind how long precisely –
having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to
interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the
watery part of the world”. As a young man these words written by Herman
Melville in 1851inspired me as I read about the quest for Moby Dick, the
White Sperm Whale. Some years later – never mind how long precisely –
they still do! More than any other species of whale, the great Sperm
Whale has captured my imagination. |
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| For me the Sperm Whale is an
enigma, an elusive subject of many a nights dreams. I have encountered
these animals in many places, in the deep waters off the Kona coast, in
the AuAu Channel between Maui and Lanai, in the Gulf Stream between Ft.
Lauderdale and the Bahamas, and in the Dominican Republic. I have also
encountered these whales in several places in the Gulf of California
including Isla Espiritu Santos, the Guaymas trench, and far north in the
Mid-riff islands. The huge spermaceti case, the slender lower jaw, the
“hump” in the back of a large bull, the massive tail stock and flukes
all make for a most amazing photographic subject. A giant Sperm Whale
spy-hopping, breaching or tail-lobbing is truly a sight to behold. |
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| Squid are an abundant source
of food for Sperm Whales in the waters of the Gulf of California. Here
is an image of a Humbolt squid (Dosidicus gigas) stranded in a tide pool
there. Recently I have become more and more interested in the stranded
whale remains I have come across in my adventures photographing live
whales. I find the bones fascinating as they tell a part of the story
about the living animals they came from. Sperm Whale skulls and teeth
are particularly interesting to me. |
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In the deep waters around Isla San Pedro Martir in the Gulf of
California I recently encountered a group of these small cetaceans
resting in flat calm conditions. They were incredibly wary of any
approach by the boat so I simply shut down and drifted. After hours of
waiting, I finally was able to get a few photographs to identify these
little guys, they are Dwarf Sperm Whales (Kogia simus), seen here
logging at the surface.
TIPS FOR SPERM WHALE PHOTOGRAPHS: With all cetaceans the way a boat
approaches them at sea will determine how they will react. Sperm Whales
are especially difficult to approach, and it is better to simply shut
down several hundred yards away from a resting group and drift with
them. In many cases a curious group of animals will approach you! Long
lenses are again the norm, but keep a wide angle ready for that curious
animal. Dive times can be very long, but animals will usually surface
very close to where you last saw them dive, so be patient. I prefer Fuji
Provia RDPIII ISO 100 film for Sperm Whales. I can push it a stop if
they get really active to achieve the shutter speeds I need to freeze
the action |
