An Interest In Sea Mammals
Marine biologist Nan Hauser has dedicated most of her life to researching and monitoring marine life, specifically dolphins and whales. She has participated in numerous dives in the Bahamas and the Cook Islands for the past 28 years.
One Can Never Anticipate How A Wild Animal Will Behave
No matter how many years she spent studying whales and dolphins, Nan could never have expected what she encountered whilst out on a dive. These creatures are wild and you can never be 100 percent sure of how they’ll behave.
Be Prepared For Anything
For that reason, she knew that these enormous creatures could be unpredictable and dangerous. When you’re a diver you need to be ready for anything unexpected because being caught off guard out at sea can be very dangerous and life-threatening.
An Encounter Like No Other
Nan has been involved in creating a safe environment for whales in the South Pacific. Whilst on an expedition, she had a shocking encounter that she never expected. No other diver has ever had an experience like this before.
Respected Member Of The Marine Life Community
Hauser is renowned in the marine life community for her work with whales. She has been featured on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and Animal Planet. Rarotonga is her home, and it’s where she conducts most of her studies.
The Cook Islands
The Cook Islands are made up of 15 small islands, with Rarotonga being the biggest. With such a diverse variety of sea life, they’re home to 600 fish species, 16 types of sharks, and 21 species of whales and dolphins.
The Documentation
In addition to spending time in the Cook Islands for research purposes, Hauser was also planning on capturing a nature film during this expedition. This is why when she and her diving companion began their journey, they had the appropriate cameras for documenting the whole ordeal.
Just Another Ordinary Day
Like any other ordinary day, Nan had anchored her speedboat out at sea, as she was getting ready to conduct another one of her explorations. Little did she know that this day would turn out to be anything but ordinary.
What Was Lurking In The Depths Of The Sea?
Nan realized that this exploration day was turning out to be different than all the others as she saw a gigantic, dark figure in the depths of the sea. What’s more, it looked like this figure was heading for her.
A Sense Of Relief
As the creature was rapidly approaching, she felt a sense of relief when she realized that it was, in fact, a humpback whale. These whales can reach a staggering 60 feet in length and can weigh up to 40 tons.
Don’t Get Too Close
These creatures tend to be peaceful and not aggressive towards divers, but they can be dangerous to humans because of the sheer size of them. They can harm you by just flipping their tails if they’re swimming too close.
This Was Definitely Not A Baby Whale
This creature weighed approximately 50,000 pounds so was definitely no baby whale. Hauser may have been able to estimate its size, but in all her years of researching whales, she’d never experienced what was about to happen to her.
Diving Has Always Been Her Passion
Hauser’s been diving with these majestic creatures for decades and has never had reason to be afraid of them. She’s a leading expert and hence very familiar with their behavior. That’s why what happened that day took her completely by surprise.
A Humpback Whale Encounter Like No Other
Because of her expansive knowledge of whales, she knew to stay calm and not do anything that may upset the creature. When the whale decided to come up for air, it got really close to her and she suddenly panicked.
Trying To Stay Clear But To No Avail
Even though the creature was so close she could touch it, she had no intention of doing that. But the more she tried to stay clear, the closer it came to her, it was so close it was touching her.
There Was No Escaping The Situation
In an attempt to not alarm the creature she didn’t want to make any harsh movements so remained still as the whale was approaching her. Next thing, she looked down and realized that she was literally on the whale’s head!
Always Be Careful When In Their Environment
As a marine biologist, Hauser believes that the animal’s wellbeing comes first. She respects sea life and always treats these creatures with caution and only touches them if they’re injured, are stranded, or need some kind of help.
Who Initiated Contact?
On this particular day, Hauser had no choice, she was going to make contact with this humpback whale whether she wanted to or not. The whale was the one to initiate contact, but Nan had no idea why.
Rules And Regulations About Whale Harassment
In an interview, Hauser recalls feeling slightly amused at one point because she’s responsible for writing the rules and regulations when it comes to whale harassment by divers, and ironically, here she was the one being harassed by the whale.
Frozen With Fear
For some reason, the whale seemed irritated and began nudging her over and over. Then next thing the whale tucked her under its fin and started dragging her to the surface. She felt helpless and feared for her life.
Uncertain Of What’s Next
All she could do was hold on for dear life as she had no idea what the whale wanted and what it was going to do next. She’d never experienced fear like this during any of her previous whale encounters.
Minutes Felt Like Hours
The whale would just not let her go, for what felt like hours, was 10 minutes of sheer panic. The creature was pushing her around with its mouth. Hauser didn’t know what to do and feared the absolute worst.
Fearing For Her Life
At this point, she feared for her life as the whale continued to ram her. The whale could easily ram her hard enough that her bones could break, or it could hit her with its flippers or its powerful tail.
She Was Prepared For The Worst
In the heat of the moment, Hauser was mentally prepared for the worst kind of outcome, because she had no idea what was actually going on. She said: “I was prepared to lose my life. I thought he was going to hit me and break my bones.”
All She Could Do Was Stay Calm
Hauser knew that all she could do was to stay calm and not upset the whale further. She knew that if she panicked, this could end badly for her as this enormous creature would pick up on her fear.
Something Like This Had Never Happened To Her Before
She’d never felt intimidated by these creatures before during any other encounter. In an interview Nan recalls hoping that this wasn’t going to be a deadly encounter, and she decided she had to stay calm and figure out what to do next.
There Was Nothing Anyone Could Do But Wait
Although her entire team was on-site with her at the time, there was nothing any of them could do to save her from this 25-ton whale. All anyone could do was wait and hope that she survives this encounter.
At Least They Were Able To Catch The Action On Camera
At the time of the incident, Nan and a fellow diver were recording the action and got some amazing footage. The other cameraman was new to filming sea creatures and had no idea how unusual an encounter like this was.
The Crew Had A Filming Dilemma
The crew had a tough decision to make, whether to keep filming or not. They were afraid for Nan and didn’t want to possibly capture her death on film. So they decided to stop aerial filming with the drone.
Completely Unaware
Nan was becoming increasingly worried as she saw the whale was pushing her further and further away from the boat. Concerned with drifting away she was not concentrating on her surroundings and had no idea what was lurking behind her.
The Situation Got Even More Interesting
Nan notices another whale displaying unusual behavior that’s approaching them. The second whale was flipping its tail nonstop. Suddenly she saw another figure emerging from deep below and she thought it was another whale. She soon realized it wasn’t.
Whales Travel In Packs
These beautiful creatures travel in packs as they migrate to the South Pacific to breed and rear their young. That’s why Nan was not alarmed and thought it to be the norm to see several wales in one spot.
That Was Not A Whale’s Tail
As she attempted to swim away from the first whale, Hauser got the fright of her life. She noticed that the third creature approaching was moving its tail side to side and not up and down as a whale would.
A Creature To Be Feared
Hauser was an expert marine biologist so quickly realized what this creature was. She knew it was too late to escape as it was approaching her at a very fast pace and all she felt was absolute horror and panic.
One Of The Ocean’s Deadliest Predators
Tiger sharks are one of the ocean’s deadliest predators, and Hauser knew that. They can weigh nearly a ton and reach lengths of 35 feet. They’re known to attack humans to no avail. They don’t just bite and release.
Now The Situation Turned From Bad To Worse
Nan was no longer worried about getting bruised by the whales, as she thought she was about to become a shark attack victim. All she could think to do was start swimming toward the speedboat where her research crew was.
The Realization Of What Had Just Happened Dawned On Her
Thankfully, both Nan and her cameraman made it to the research boat alive. As she lay on the floor of the boat feeling the bruises left from the whale’s nudges, she realized what the whale had been trying to do.
Guardian Angels Of The Sea
Humpback whales are known as the protectors of the sea. They protect dolphins, seals and other whales from dangerous situations. They’ve even been spotted hiding seals under their fin to protect them from orcas. Knowing this, it all made sense.
Thankful Reflection
Looking at the footage she saw that the whale had no intention of hurting her but of protecting her. Maybe the shark wasn’t going to attack her but the whale felt she was in danger and came to her rescue.
The Whale Continued To Show Concern
Once she was safely on the boat, Hauser saw the first whale come to the water’s surface close to the boat. The whale was probably checking to see that she was ok, and even sprayed water out of its blowhole.
Her Analysis
After the incredible interaction, Hauser watched the footage and analyzed what she saw. She concludes the harrowing experience by saying: “Maybe the shark wasn’t going to attack me,” she says, “but he [the whale] was trying to save my life.”
Some People Question Her
While Hauser doesn’t question her belief that the whale wanted to help her out, many other people started to question this. In 2016, researchers analyzed 115 instances where humpbacks interfered with a group of hunting orcas.
What The Research Showed
The study showed that the humpback whales did in fact band together to protect their calves. It also showed that humpbacks extended their kind of behavior towards other species such as seals and sea lions. The study said: “Interspecific altruism, even if unintentional, could not be ruled out.”
But It Wasn’t Enough
However, this didn’t convince everyone. Martin Biuw, of the Institute of Marine Research in Norway believes that the whale was actually a female, and said: “If that is the case, it is possible that she may show protective behavior towards a human (or other animal for that matter) if she has for instance recently lost her calf.”
Was There Evidence?
Biuw continued by saying that hormonal changes in the humpback could have caused this kind of protective behavior. He added: “In any case, even if the situation on the ground suggested to the observers that there was an altruistic behavior going on, I really cannot see any evidence of that in this video.”
A Second Opinion
Humpback whale researcher Jim Darling, of the Whale Trust Maui, agrees that the whale did not show obvious signs of protecting Hauser from the shark. However, he did not believe her account was not true, either. He concluded that there isn’t enough information available in the video in order to understand what was actually going on.
Hauser Responds To The Doubts
In response to the claims doubting her story, Hauser said: “I’m a scientist, and if anyone told me this story, I wouldn’t believe it.” However, because she had actually lived through the harrowing event, she is convinced that the whale did in fact help save her from the shark.
Her Current Project
Hauser is still an active marine biologist and is currently working on a project entitled Pacific Oceanscape Vision, which aims for a “secure future for Pacific Island countries and territories based on sustainable development, management, and conversation of our Ocean.” That’s definitely a project we can all get behind!
An Unbelievable Encounter Caught On Camera
Whether the whale’s true intentions were to save her life or not, no one will ever know. The fact of the matter is, Hauser now has incredible footage of a once in a lifetime encounter with a humpback whale.
Returning The Favor
She has spent most of her life protecting these giants of the sea, and it seems the favor has now been returned. She still continues to do what she can to preserve these whales’ home and protect them from poachers.