Written by Clara Winguth, Master’s student at GEOMAR
The moment the RV Sonne left the Durban port, whales were spotted spouting in the distance. Everyone pulled out the longest camera lenses in their armory and started snapping away, but little did we know that this was just the beginning of our wildlife watching adventure.
The whale watching the past few weeks has really been a treat. Up until know we have only been able to identify humpback whales and lots of them. I have lost track of how many whales we’ve seen, but there are multiple instances that stick out to me. There was one day where some coworkers and I were working in our lab and we look up and there are multiple whales outside our bull-eye windows slapping their fins onto the water. This flipper slapping made it look the whales were waving to us and continued for multiple hours. Then, even more whales came to the scene. There was one whale in particular that was about 10m from the ship, poked its snout up to group of us on the back deck, and then did a breathtaking dive back into the water. This is a moment I will never forget. This whale was so close to us that I could clearly see the tubercles (bumps) on its snout. It really felt as though this majestic animal was as curious about us as we are about them.
Two other whale experiences of mine must also be shared with the world. After the previous mentioned whale-day, I was already extremely grateful for the extent of my whale sightings, so it was an extra treat when I woke up a few days later to a text saying that there were jumping whales near the ship. During a dredging station, at which the ship was moves at a slow pace, four whales swam around the RV Sonne a couple times and jumped out of the water while multiple times. They were so active that I could even hear the low-toned whale sounds from my cabin. After that, we had a few more days before more whale sightings, but it was certainly not the last. Today as we were eating lunch, we looked out the window and a whale was swimming next to our ship. With all these whales seeking us out, one could really feel as though this is some fairytale where all sorts of creatures become friends and I am soaking in every second of it.
While whales are by far the biggest animals (no surprise there) that we’ve seen, other wildlife has not gone unappreciated. Albatrosses have also graced the skies with their presence, particularly in the more southern latitudes of our cruise. These massive birds glide above the water so gracefully and dip back up into the sky with the slightest motion, not even grazing a single wave. And when they do decide to land in the water I find it quite funny. They stretch their legs out as if pulling the brakes and as eloquently as possible crash into the water. I would have never considered myself a bird watcher before, but I could watch these beauties for days – and I have! Particularly knowing their endangered status, I feel quite honored to have seen them in high numbers cruising around the ship.
Honorable animal mentions go to the couple of sea turtles and the flying fish that other scientists and crew members have had the pleasure of seeing. I haven’t had the chance to spot them myself, so I am keeping my eyes peeled in the remaining time we have. Although I haven’t seen every animal paying us a visit, as a self-proclaimed animal lover and appreciator of the little (or massive if we’re talking about whales) things in life, I cannot be grateful enough for all of the wildlife I’ve seen so far in the Indian Ocean.
