Author Archives: Amanda Banks

About Amanda Banks

Amanda is a writer, dancer and teacher. She writes about marine conservation, dance, nature, life and other such unfathomables.

Dancing with the fearless ones

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Children Creative Dance

There was something that sparked my interest in the fearless ones; those marvellous beings whose auras of spontaneity and imagination have not yet been dimmed and whose passions for life are just beginning to be explored and developed.

The spark of an idea ignited a flickering creative and intellectual flame. I dared to wander into the lands of the fearless ones, into the heart of the castles of learning wherein they dwelt by day, with a quest laid before me. I resolved to seek answers to my questions…

Children Creative Dance

Would the fearless ones be brave enough to join in the dance?

Could their lightning-fast energy, capable of flying in multiple directions, be channelled into a path of exploration and discovery? Would they be open enough to respond in the moment, without any self-judgmental voices or pre-conceived notions blocking them before they had begun?

Children Creative Dance

Would their innate, creative instincts overflow to bring forth movement and magic from their bodies and their minds? Would they commit themselves, with daring, tenacity and boldness, to the challenges of moving on impulse, without forethought, without instruction, engaging in the flow of pure improvisation?

Children Creative Dance

Could they embody fully an image or concept, without hesitating to wonder why or how an image can be placed within the body as well as within the mind? Could they possibly translate complex ideas into developed, thoughtful and intricate shapes, gestures and movements?

Children Creative Dance

Would their eagerness and thirst for knowledge sustain them as they communicated their ideas and intentions with one another to deepen their journey into the dance? Could they work with one another, accepting the challenge of problem-solving, listening and adapting to each other’s ideas?

Children Creative Dance

Would they flourish in such an environment; would their innate capacity for expression emerge from their bodies, would the act of moving support their learning, would those who lacked confidence in themselves be able to develop self-worth, and would those who struggled in the castle of learning find something in which they could excel and amaze others by doing so?

Children Creative Dance

I wandered in the lands of the fearless ones for 6 years or more, I danced with 500-750 fearless ones every week, in close to 100 castles of learning. I even danced with their learned teachers, those most trusted of guides, who work tirelessly to nourish the fearless ones as they make their way through the early challenges of life.

Children Creative Dance

I returned home each day from these lands totally exhausted… The  fearless ones demand huge amounts of mental, physical and emotional energy. Often I fell asleep on any soft surface I could find as soon as I arrived home, nodding off as sunbeams danced on my face, barely able to rouse myself to complete my day, and falling into bed again before the moon had risen.

Children Creative Dance

But, I learnt much from the fearless ones and found answers to my questions. In all those long years, the resounding answer was YES. Maybe not always, not every fearless one in every castle of learning, but mostly, incredibly, overwhelmingly, YES.

That is why they are the fearless ones… Because they answer YES! It did not matter of they were a boy or a girl, it did matter their background, that was generally inconsequential. The fearless ones are the fearless ones because…

Children Creative Dance

Because they are open, spontaneous, imaginative, creative, courageous, eager, expressive, connected to their physicality, reflective, communicative, learners, problem solvers and accepters of new challenges.

Having danced with thousands of fearless ones, I find myself reflecting; I wonder if they will stay that way… When one day, they journey out of their lands and into the lands of the adult ones, will they keep their amazing powers, or will these get lost along the way?

Children Creative Dance

Which leads me to ask…

Would I, as one who has already crossed that boundary, wish for them to remain connected to their innate capacity for creativity, spontaneity and courage? Can I continue my forays into their lands to lay the dance before them and offer them the chance to take up the challenge? Do I do this with the hope that the more creative opportunities the fearless ones are offered, and the more encouragement they are given to explore their own creativity, the more likely it is that they will stay connected to this part of themselves once they cross the threshold into adulthood?

My answer is YES!

Children Creative Dance

Note: Pictures above originate from photos taken for  ‘Learning in Motion’, a creative dance resource for schools, produced by Amanda Banks, South Downs School Sport Partnership and East Sussex County Council, England, with additional photos taken during a Creative Partnerships Project, England. All photos have been manipulated and translated into pictures to honour photo consents… And to create beautiful artwork!

And the purpose of art is…?

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Jim Carmody, Muse end close up

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Jim Carmody

“Sometimes, without darkness, riches will never be revealed. We need patience and faith to wait for things to unfold out of that deep valley between the two worlds…” Melanie Doherty, Bookish Nature

What is art? What is dance? What is their purpose…? I remember having heated discussions in years long gone, debating what art is, attempting to define its parameters, establish what makes ‘good’ art. I took it seriously at the time.

Jim Carmody, Muse scientist duet

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Jim Carmody

These days such discussions are not as interesting to me. What interests me is my personal relationship with art, and my personal philosophy on what art can be. I appreciate it can be many things, and I value and respect all of those myriad of things. But for me personally, I see art as being of greatest value when it sits in the centre of everyday life, adding nourishment, meaning and enrichment to all aspects of living.

Art began as something raw and fundamental, something intrinsic to everyday life and everyday people, it was immediate, basic, vital. It emerged spontaneously, it carried life force, it expressed something that had a need to be expressed, it simply ‘was’.

Manuel Rotenberg, Muse opening corner group

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Manuel Rotenberg

Where is art today? Does it sit at the centre of life, embedded in each of us, with its value so obvious that we do not need to question its existence? Or does it sit in its own domain, in a realm that only ‘artists’ dwell in, cut off and out of reach from the rest of us mere mortals? What does that do to us? Where does that leave us and our view of ourselves as human beings?

Jim Carmody, Muse opening

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Jim Carmody

I believe that we do ourselves a disservice when we either sideline art or put it on a pedestal. Both of those acts make a statement. They say “creativity is not the domain of all humankind”. I believe this is deeply disempowering. Life itself is a creative act, being alive is a creative miracle, and we are all responsible for creating our lives as we think, feel and act our way through every day.

Manuel Rotenberg, Muse madness pedestals

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Manuel Rotenberg

When we separate art from ourselves, I believe that on some level we create a wide chasm inside us. We cut off and ostracise a part of us that is inherently creative, spontaneous, life-enhancing and spiritual. We throw it away from ourselves, cast it adrift on some barren outcrop of rock and place an uncrossable gulf between it and us.

Manuel Rotenberg, Muse sky duet

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Manuel Rotenberg

So, to come full circle, for me personally, art is a bridge. Art is a bridge that can lead us back across the gulf to that soft, vital, creative, connected, energised place inside ourselves. For me, any art that can bridge the gulf has value; no matter what label of genre or aesthetic might be applied to it. Because for me, crossing the bridge and reconnecting with the part of ourselves that has not forgotten its capacity for flight is a vital part of living…

“The tug to follow brings glimpses of doubts and peril, but to not follow leaves you closer to the falling-edge behind. Only by answering the forward tug, can you get to the edge where you can fly. Sometimes you have to drag yourself there, crawling inch by inch. Sometimes, you can fling open a door, and a following wind lifts you through, opening the wide sea ahead of you. Sometimes it seems very far away indeed, glimpsed through a keyhole.” Melanie Doherty, Bookish Nature

Jim Carmody, Muse wash line trio

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Jim Carmody

I was recently fortunate enough to be involved in an artistic project as guest choreographer for UCSD’s winterWORKS 2013 performances.  My contribution to the performance was a piece entitled ’Wherever the Muse Doth Lead’. As I reflect on that work, the two aspects of it which stand out to me are the dancers and the connection I formed with two writers.

Jim Carmody, Muse picture frame

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Jim Carmody

The dancers are all undergraduates at UCSD; some of them major in dance, but most are majoring in other subjects such as law and medicine. To work so closely with such inspiring young adults, who may not see themselves as aspiring ’artists’ but whose love, passion and commitment to dancing and immersing themselves in the world of the muse that we created together, was an amazingly life-affirming experience.

The writers, Melanie Doherty and Louise Hastings, are gifted at writing words that create the most exquisite bridges between the mundane parts of ourselves and the ‘poetic and extraordinary’ ones. I was humbled, happy, thankful and excited to have their permission to record segments of their words, spoken by the dancers, and woven into our soundscore. Such is the grace of art, that it can connect people who have never met, connect diverse genres, and connect a person with the spark inside themselves.

Manuel Rotenberg, Muse opening corner group and painting

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Manuel Rotenberg

“There is something in her that intrigues me, something I don’t yet understand. How she gives of herself so freely, yet expects nothing in return; how she holds onto joy during moments in time when the spark seems like it is dying; carrying me along on the cloud burst, away from the grey and mechanic, into the poetic and extraordinary. A place where the ice is melting, where the fire has raged through the forests, where the rivers flow on like electricity. My spirit is gradually unfolding into being…” Louise Hastings, Wings Over Waters

Manuel Rotenberg, Muse giving globe

‘Wherever The Muse Doth Lead’
Photo credit – Manuel Rotenberg

Art, in all its forms, has the capacity to remind us what it is to ‘be’ rather than to ‘do’… What greater service or purpose could it offer?

Please visit Bookish Nature by Melanie Doherty and Wings Over Waters by Louise Hastings to read more of their beautifully crafted words.

All photos are with kind permission from Manuel Rotenberg and Jim Carmody. Please visit their websites for more captivating images.

Sidekick or hero?

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I have been running away from writing recently… Or words have been running away from me… Or else I have been too busy running through some of life’s challenges to hear them… But, although words still evade me, I will pause long enough to post part of an article about the American Cetacean Society’s conference which appeared in the January edition of Vision Magazine.

And yes, that is the correct title, I promise it will make sense by the end of this post…

ACS conference 2012Underpinning this diverse wealth of information ran a strong connecting thread; a sense of coming-together-ness between people of varying backgrounds and opinions. Cetacean conferences are not always this eclectic. Some are purely for the scientific community, with presentations reporting current research areas, methodologies and results. Others are aimed at igniting a spark of activism, urging attendees to take action against the perceived enemies of cetaceans. At this conference, many influences were present in one room together who, although united by a common ground, did not necessarily share the same beliefs, methods or goals.

This was a fundamentally important element both for the conference and what it represents as a model of behavior within the world generally. After all, a conference merely mirrors the larger stage of any human endeavor; where the characters, methods, opinions and agendas of differing groups can be divergent to the point of aggressive opposition. On that broad stage, decisions which impact our planet are made, or not made, on the basis of whether differing factions can hear one another, reach an agreement and take action.

It was exciting to witness this trend of inclusivity and dialogue. The ride was not always easy. Discussions became heated on occasion, with one person’s, or group’s, agendas and beliefs becoming momentarily inflamed. But the discussions remained respectful and rational. The conference was entitled, “Whales and Humans: A Conflicted Relationship”. There was an inherent, comical irony to this, as it was evident how conflicted humans can become without the need for any other creature’s involvement! But, more importantly for the road ahead, the discussions demonstrated clearly how potential conflict can be resolved through committed effort, respect, compromise and good will.

At the ACS conference compressA second fascinating trend was a sense of being in transition. As individuals and societies, humans are constantly evolving and becoming something else. But, there are plateau periods, where a paradigm has been established and not much occurs, and transition periods that are full of action and upheaval, as one paradigm dissolves and a new one emerges.

The ideas which surfaced during this conference reflected a potential dynamic shift. For example, the questions included: if cetacean populations recover and we can no longer use their ‘highly-endangered’ status as rationale for protecting them, what rationale can we apply?; do we move away from a scientific position of defining healthy population numbers to a broader ethical and moral set of parameters?; if so, how do we define ethics, as differing cultures have vastly differing perspectives?; as our species has only recently established the paradigm that all human beings have basic rights, regardless of gender, culture or color, on what basis can we agree a set of rights for another species?; can we establish it on the basis of their being sentient “non-human persons” (as defined by writer and Professor of Ethics, Thomas White)?; if we assert that cetaceans have moral rights, how do we balance these with human rights?

If we are to shift to a new paradigm, one where our relationship with all life is radically re-envisioned, we will have to grapple with many such tough questions, not seeking the quick and easy answers, but processing them thoroughly until new answers emerge from the struggle. Three subjects from the conference provided additional food for thought.

Blue Voice logoJeff Friedman spoke on behalf of Hardy Jones from ‘BlueVoice’ about the death of an estimated 900 dolphins off the Peruvian coast in spring 2012. Autopsies carried out by BlueVoice and local marine rescue organization ORCA detected bleeding ears, fractured ear bones, air bubbles in the internal organs and pulmonary emphysema. These symptoms suggest that the dolphins suffered from acute decompression syndrome, possibly induced by repeated acoustic impacts. There remains no universally agreed conclusion about the deaths and the Peruvian government has stated that they were due to natural causes. However, an oil company was conducting seismic exploration in the area at the time and, in BlueVoice’s opinion, is a logical suspect. While this particular incident may seem far removed from American shores, it is pertinent to reflect that two of the main contributors to underwater acoustic disturbances are the navy and energy companies (predominantly oil and gas), both of which America has in plentiful supply.

Marine mammal toxicologist Peter Ross based at the ‘Institute of Ocean Sciences’, Canada, spoke about the toxicity levels in killer whales off the west coast of America and Canada. Pacific transient killer whales are believed to be the most highly contaminated animals on the planet as their position at the pinnacle of the food chain, where they prey on other marine mammals, results in their receiving the most concentrated levels of toxins. These toxins include chemicals used in agriculture, manufacturing and plastics industries. All ocean animals ingest them to a greater or lesser degree and they cannot be broken down or excreted from the body. Instead they remain in an animal’s tissues and organs and, as their chemical makeup resembles that of hormones, the illnesses they are likely to contribute to include immune and reproductive ones.

VIVA Vaquita logoWhile ‘VIVA Vaquita’ did not deliver a speech at the conference, they were providing information about a surprisingly little known cetacean and its potential demise. There is a species of porpoise called the vaquita about to become extinct in our backyard. The vaquita lives in a tiny area of the Gulf of California and numbers about 200 individuals. Although their home offers healthy waters, with a plentiful food source, the vaquita are falling foul of fishing methods. The almost invisible gill nets, used to catch shrimp and fish, inadvertently trap and drown the vaquita. The fishing industry in the area is operated by local, small-scale Mexican fishermen, however, much of the catch is subsequently imported into America for consumption.

Wood pretending to be a whale's tailHow we choose to respond to the three subjects above will be crucial to determining where we go next and what results we create. We could choose to expect businesses and governments to shoulder the responsibility of fixing the problems; laying the blame squarely at their feet and relying on their power to deliver answers. However this might be counterproductive if every day we choose to buy coffee in disposable cups with plastic lids, eat shrimp without verifying where it was fished from, and drive cars with big engines. A lasting shift towards a more positive future is unlikely to occur from the masses assuming a powerless, victim role; we have become weakened and lazy from living within the confines of that paradigm for long enough. Perhaps lasting change is more likely to occur if we choose the tougher road of dispelling our ignorance and powerless stance, and instead embracing awareness, discipline, passion, responsibility and courage. A perfect antidote to toxins entering at the base of a food chain and becoming concentrated up the chain, is for new thinking and action to be embraced at the grassroots level and create a spiraling bottom-up approach.

The conference ended with a sharing of ideas for how we can all embrace change in whatever small or large way it is within our sphere of influence to do. Ideas that were offered from attendees, included such simple ones as “carry your own cup everywhere”, “observe nature and keep a record”, “talk to kids and get them outside in the natural world”, “check how and where your seafood is fished”, “watch your personal habits and always leave things better than you found them”.

Looking outwards and forwardsSometimes the small things in life are the hardest; they are not exciting, they do not go ‘bang’ and they do not show big results fast. But, it is the small things as well as the large that make a difference, just as it requires the participation of many people from many walks of life. Whatever we make of our world today and tomorrow, we can be sure that it will be a product of us all, whether directly or indirectly. The American Cetacean Society conference served to engender an attitude of positive participation; of choosing freely to be actively involved. Because, after all, who wants to play the cowardly, disempowered sidekick in a movie, when, deep down, we all have the capacity to play a braver, wiser and more honorable role?

Vision Magazine… A lucky find

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Amazing how things happen… I was fortunate enough to attend a wonderful cetacean conference in November 2012, held by the American Cetacean Society, in Mission Bay, San Diego.

ACS conference 2012

I was researching hard at the time, trying to find somewhere, someone, some right place that might accept an article from me about the conference. As a novice writer here in California, at the time unpublished in any AMERICAN magazine, knocking on doors was not easy. I persisted for two reasons:

1. I am sincerely respectful of the work of organizations such as the American Cetacean Society, and of the many individuals who engage in marine conservation, research and education. I do not work as a conservationist myself, but if I can play a small part in being a voice for them and inspiring an individual or two to treat our world with greater care and gratitude, then that feels worthwhile to me. I am under no delusion; I do not believe that everyone on this planet can be made to alter their behaviour for the better; but if someone happens to be at a point in their life where they are receptive and looking for something, maybe, occasionally, words can foster miracles.

2. Yes, of course, I want to develop my writing credentials. I am a learner at this art. I do it because I love to write and I started writing this blog in particular because I love writing about conservationists. Whether it is something that ever becomes a part of my profession I have no idea, but I want to pursue the act of writing as and when I can, and it feels good to occasionally see my words in print.

Luckily, a lovely new friend here in California, Nancy McCaleb, who ran McCaleb Dance Company for many years suggested I contact Vision Magazine. Vision is a holistic, alternative magazine, available for free online and also distributed in print version in California, Northern Arizona and Hawaii.

Vision Magazine Cover Januray 2013 edition

“Vision is an elegant balance of informative stories and inspiring viewpoints; rich, vivid color juxtaposed with appealing editorial, community resources, and calendar of events, each providing tools for living in a more peaceful and sustainable world. Over the past ten years, Vision Magazine has become a mainstay within the holistic community, revealing evolutionary ideas in conscious living, holistic healing, and the creation of a more peaceful world.“

A month after speaking to Vision’s publisher and executive editor Sydney Murray, my article “Blubber Deep – Reconnecting With Our Ocean Cousins” was featured in Vision’s January 2013 edition. You can read the JANUARY 2013 FULL DIGITAL EDITION HERE and you can also access individual articles on VISION’S WEBSITE HERE. I hope to write more for this magazine in the future and look forward to reading other people’s articles within its pages.

For anyone who has never been to a cetacean conference, such an event may sound like a bafflingly unknown entity, sparking such random thoughts as “That must be a bland affair!” or “If it’s a whale conference, do any actual whales turn up?”  Well, life has been crazy here and I have not had a chance to write about the conference on my blog, but to dispel the thoughts that might be floating in your heads, please come back next time to read about some of my experiences at the conference along with excerpts from the article…

Ocean Magazine… A beautiful read

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It has been a while since I have given a shout out to Ocean Magazine, an American nature magazine that is all about the ocean, for people who love the ocean…

OCEAN Magazine Winter 2013 Issue 37

“OCEAN is a  magazine about the ocean. OCEAN Magazine publishes photography, articles and stories, essays, and poems to celebrate and protect the ocean. New issues are published quarterly –– Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. OCEAN’s quality is unsurpassed. OCEAN’s photography is beautiful. In OCEAN you read what you read no where else. OCEAN’s information is timeless. Never is an issue outdated. With incomparable quality, each issue of OCEAN is a collector’s item. OCEAN blends the informative and educational, personal, spiritual, and sensual. OCEAN draws its inspiration from love, with beauty and respect. OCEAN opens the depths, and takes you in. OCEAN is unabashedly different. Its intention is pure.”

Ocean Magazine is always wonderfully warm, thought-provoking and interesting. And right now, it features my first article for an American magazine, for which I feel honored and grateful.

For those of you who remember Peggy Stap (Marine Life Studies), Laurie Murison (Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station), Nina Pardo and Stefan  Austermühle (Mundo Azul), my article is all about them. Plus they add their own unique voices to the magazine, giving an even clearer glimpse of their lives and perspectives.

To subscribe to Ocean Magazine, please visit their website.

As ever, there is so much you can do to learn more about the work of whale and dolphin conservationists; Peggy, Laurie, Stefan and Nina are always glad to receive your interest and support. And don’t forget to visit my good friends at Planet Whale if you want to discover more cetacean conservation organisations all around the world… There may be one on your doorstep that you never knew existed but would be immensely glad to discover!

Ico-Dance… A new venture

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The old year is dead… Long live the new year!

With the ending of 2012, our spirits take a moment between breaths to reflect on the past year and ponder what lies ahead along the long, winding path of 2013. Collectively we can but hope, as we step tentatively forwards into this year, that life will continue to teach us the lessons we most need to learn, so that little by little, our arrogance, delusion, fear, hatred, pride, judgement, and many more shadow-twists of the ego, are gradually worn down and smoothed away, so that one day we may become the Selves we wish to be.

An image comes to mind…

Broken sky

A piece of sea-green glass, that once upon a time believed itself to be a perfectly formed, elegant bottle… Only to one day be smashed apart and realise it was nothing but a broken, jagged, ugly, deformed object, capable of harming those it touched… That spent year upon long year at sea being pushed, pulled, tugged and drowned by waves unnumbered… Travelling to a hundred different shores and having its eyes opened to the vastness of life and the smallness of itself… Until, at last, it was humbled and realised it was a tiny piece of nothing, that had undertaken a journey that was everything, and it saw every other piece of anything as equally nothing and everything as itself… And it gave itself up to the command of the ocean, feeling deeply for every other piece of nothing and everything around it… Till one day, as a hand reached out to pluck it from the sand and marvel at it, it beheld itself to be a tiny, wondrous piece of rounded, softened, glistening, sea-green beauty… And it gave thanks to the relentlessly fierce push and pull of ocean waves that had eventually quenched its delusions and brought forth its beauty…

Land and sea

And then, the image fades again…

In its place, I am aware of the change of energy in the air. My husband Bruno and I both have new ventures to pursue this year in California, a little more than a year after we first began our life here together. 2013 has begun with a great deal of activity.

In just over a week I begin teaching some new dance classes, which I have called Ico-Dance, in two local cities (towns for English folk). The classes are for adults and are based on my own lifelong practise as a contemporary dancer and teacher. The word ‘contemporary’ implies many different things to many different people, not all of them positive, and it is not a word that always draws a crowd! But, what remains at the heart of contemporary dance, underneath the many associations that come with it, is creativity, the recognition that human beings need to move and be moved, and an ability to embrace just about anything.

Ico-Dance classes, Solana Beach & La Jolla, California

‘Contemporary’ dance can be anything and mean anything… It is really just an umbrella attempt to name any dance that is NOT already named something else. Through the years, my relationship with it and the meanings I imbue it with have changed immeasurably. Today, what I value most from my many years immersion in dance of a contemporary nature, is the deep learning it has given me about what creative, flexible and intuitive dance can truly give to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Even dinosaurs dance

Dance is nourishment, dance is therapeutic, dance is holistic, dance is any word you can think of that brings life, breath, energy and joy to your body, heart and head. And it is certainly not just for dancers!

From life’s earliest beginnings, creatures have enjoyed the pure pleasure of movement - flying, soaring, swimming, surfing, walking, running, leaping, stomping - it is just humans who sometimes forget this simple joy of existence. I am very grateful for having had dance as a central part of my life since I was three years old. Without it, I cannot quite imagine who I would be. Having said that, I am also glad that I moved away from dance for a couple of years, to be able to return to it with a renewed awareness of its unique gifts.

Dancing with animals

I will attempt to write more about Ico-Dance on this blog as this new year progresses, (just to confuse those of you who come here to read about marine conservation), but for now, please do visit my ICO-DANCE page for more information and if you are a local in San Diego county, do come and try a class and spread the word to others!

P.s. My apologies to the wonderful writers and photographers whose blogs I am following… I know you have all been writing prolifically through the festive season and beyond, and I have not visited your sites to catch up with your words for many weeks… I promise to visit soon and catch up on all I have been missing!

The trials and tribulations of killer whale research – part 3

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And so at last to that final bullet point…

Being an object of sport for fast paced dolphins, while simultaneously navigating round humpback whales, testing an underwater camera and preventing an excited dog from falling overboard

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

Another day, another whale… Albeit not of the killer variety. Peggy, Cindy, Whiskie and I were out on a beautiful, sunny, calm day in the bay. Having spent a few hours scouting for orcas with no success, we heard on the radio that a whale watching boat had found a couple of humpbacks; some of the first to be arriving in the bay from distant ocean playgrounds. Monterey Bay is not a breeding ground for these giant hobos, but it is their equivalent of a favorite, abundant restaurant. The bay is a feeding hotspot and many species come here to fill themselves up. (Not that it has always been this way. Monterey Bay’s healthy diversity was almost destroyed by the fishing and canning industry in years gone by. Today it is a real, tangible, miraculous conservation success story… Reassuring to know that humans can instigate miracles occasionally.)

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

While humpbacks are not Peggy’s research subjects, she will collect photographs and data on them when the opportunity arises. As a novice boat driver, I asked Peggy to guide me as I steered closer to the whales to ensure I followed the correct protocols around them.

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

The humpbacks were busy doing what humpbacks often do; hanging out at the surface to breathe, diving down to feed and returning to the surface at intervals. For first time whale watchers, this mundane event can be quite a spectacle as humpbacks fluke when they dive, (i.e. stick their tales in the air to thrust their buoyant bodies underwater). But for us, a more fascinating view was to be found looking at the radar to see bait balls (tightly shoaled fish), both small and huge, appear as a fuzzy blur, and knowing that this was the feast that the whales were after.

In the midst of this relatively tranquil scene, some exciting newcomers were about to come flying out of the wings to take center stage… Pacific white-sided dolphins… Hundreds of them… Careening past at high speed…

Pacific white-sided dolphin, © Peggy Stap/www.MarineLifeStudies.org

Photo courtesy of / © Peggy Stap, http://www.marinelifestudies.org

I cannot give adequate words to describe the physical tremor of energy I feel whenever these dolphins are present. Whales are beautiful, huge and majestic… Killer whales are sleek, stunning and dramatic… But dolphins, especially these small, dart-like creatures, are so fast, so fleeting, so full bodied, that they move me in a far greater way. There is nothing to compare with seeing them in the wild; a screen of any dimension cannot convey the energy they give off. I have never met any other animal with the same overwhelming sense of firework-sparkle-dancing-aliveness as these creatures. There is something so abundant about the way in which they move through their fluid environment. As a dancer I see this movement resembling a spontaneous, glorious, joyfully improvised dance. And in the core of my body I sense a buzzing, tingling, expansive, limitless energy emanating from them. Us humans, apart from dancers and other physically engaged people, have all but lost the immediate, embodied joy that comes from moving in such a completely unrestrained, unselfconscious, freely flowing way. And what we have lost, we often cannot imagine existing in another creature and we cannot connect with the simple fact that Pure Joy can be found in the body, rather than in the head. My urge to leave the world of trapped-in-their-bodies humans and join these liberated-in-their-bodies dolphins is overwhelmingly strong when I see them moving in this way!

Photo courtesy of / © Peggy Stap, www.marinelifestudies.org

Photo courtesy of / © Peggy Stap, http://www.marinelifestudies.org

Peggy, Cindy and I were mesmerized with the fleeting glimpses of leaping dolphins passing us on all sides. And Whiskie… Well, she was at the bow of the boat greeting them enthusiastically. “Let’s follow their path”, called Peggy, “They might bow-ride with us!”

And with that came my most treasured memories of being in Monterey Bay this year. I turned the boat and maneuvered away from the humpbacks to follow the tracks of the dolphins as they headed SSW. Under Peggy’s direction, I increased speed while she stood at the bow with Whiskie at her side.

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

For a few gorgeously fantastic minutes we were as much at one with the dolphins as it is possible for three humans and a dog on a boat to be. Which I guess is not saying much really! But, to at least be travelling close to their speed, in the middle of a pod that stretched out around us in all directions, sensing their interest in us as they veered towards the boat to bow ride briefly before careering off again faster than you could think was possible, and catching sight, ever so briefly, of a glistening, curious, intelligent eye as it took a sidelong look at us in mid-leap… Exhilarating… Totally exhilarating!

Now, we might all know what that word means, and it may get overused in print, but stop for a moment and contemplate… How often, really truly, can you honestly say that you feel exhilarated? How many times a day, a week, a month or a year, is that word not an exaggeration of your emotional state? …Mmm, I wonder. Maybe for some of us it is more often than others, but there is one thing I am certain of; experiencing the natural world offers such mood-enhancing moments more than many other experiences in life… Although of course, being the strangely conflicted and complicated animals that we are, we often miss out on such offerings, choosing instead to make other experiences such as television, computers and material things more important. While those things provide distractions from our worries; a constant background static, that serves to numb our lack of joy, I do not believe they often provide a source of joy itself. But without doubt, a deep, true source of joy, exhilaration and contentment can be found in nature and in our body’s connection with nature. And when we disengage ourselves from the complicated, confusing, life-sucking traps we have surrounded ourselves with, we can connect with it, maybe only for a few fleeting seconds, but the replenishment and hope that such moments provide can sustain us for a lifetime.

Photo courtesy of / © Peggy Stap, www.marinelifestudies.org

Photo courtesy of / © Peggy Stap, http://www.marinelifestudies.org

Anyway, I digress. Exhilarating… And, kind of comical too. Cindy was desperately trying to record data while catching glimpses of leaping dolphins; being the data recorder can be a self-sacrificing role as you often miss the most spectacular bits of action, “Wow, did you see that dolphin do a double back-flip, front somersault, perfect dismount?” “What, again? No way, I was busy recording our GPS position!” I was steering, constantly having to adjust to the push of each wave, with one hand at the ready to slow the engine if needed. Peggy was at the bow experimenting with a new underwater camera, attempting to record a shot or two of the dolphins as they rode the bow wave in front of the boat. And Whiskie… Well, Whiskie was beside herself. I think dolphins must be her favorite cetacean; she certainly seems to get most excited whenever certain dolphin species are present. She was barking at them from the bow, running along the edge of the boat to bark over the side, running back to the bow and barking some more… Which is all very good for canine-cetacean-relations, as the dolphins seem to be as curious about her as she is about them, but not so good for general dog-health-and-safety. After an almost ‘dog overboard!’ moment, we reluctantly slowed the boat. At which point the dolphins carried on their way. They were still travelling past us on all sides, but we were no longer an object of sport for them. No speed, no game… They ignored us!

Risso's dolphin, © Peggy Stap/www.MarineLifeStudies.org

Photo courtesy of / © Peggy Stap, http://www.marinelifestudies.org

After that, the scene returned to a gentle state. We traversed a wide arc or two, attempting to lure a few more dolphins close, but then let them be as one last group of animals came gently lulling their way onto stage… Risso’s dolphins… A family group, with babies. “Breathe out, slow down, go with the flow, there’s no rush, enjoy a tranquil moment or two, chill man chill…” That is the feeling that these large, white, blunt headed, slow moving dolphins emanate to me. There can not be a much greater difference in state-of-being than can be seen between Pacific white-sided and Risso’s dolphins. If you ever thought a dolphin was a dolphin, then rethink! Although Risso’s can get frisky, (and I have witnessed some pretty fast paced and flirtatious interactions between the two species, as well as a Risso’s version of surfing), most often they exude calmness and a kind of languid ease. Meditative relaxation appears to be, at least from a blatantly humanized perspective, their forte. I would not be surprised to learn that Buddha had been a Risso’s dolphin in a previous life, thus giving rise to his future enlightenment in human form!

Risso's dolphin, © Peggy Stap/www.MarineLifeStudies.org

Photo courtesy of / © Peggy Stap, http://www.marinelifestudies.org

After that encounter, our day at sea drew to a close. We returned home happy even though we had not seen a single hint of a killer whale that day. And that marks the end of my accounts of assisting Peggy Stap of Marine Life Studies in Monterey Bay this Spring… But, I hope to visit her again next year to partake in another game of trials and tribulations.

For now, looking back on that day and the joyful-in-the-moment-tingling-aliveness I experienced, I fall once again into gently mulling reflections… It occurs to me that the greatest gift which Nature can bestow on us, its most unruly and delinquent of children, is the gift of Now. How many spiritual and life-coach gurus attempt to nudge us onto the path of being connected to Now; to this single moment in time rather than the projected future or completed past? It is, supposedly, one of the highest forms of emotional and spiritual intelligence to achieve such a connection to the moment, such a letting go of all desires, distractions and thoughts built up from our addiction to our egos, our past and future… To attain such a total immersion in Now-ness that it gives birth to the unique bliss of ‘being in the flow’… How strange then that, when quite probably every other creature on Earth bar ourselves is able to achieve and live in this state effortlessly, we cannot be graceful enough to credit their intelligence as being anywhere near our own, let alone superior. We have only just relatively recently gotten our collective heads around the notion that there are different types of intelligence in humans. Bless our cotton socks, (an English term of endearment, given with a gentle pat on the head), how much longer will it take us to collectively accept and appreciate that there are many other non-human types of intelligence, some of which far surpass our limited, cognitive abilities?

I wonder…

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas, Blue Ocean Whale Watch

A nearly Christmas request…

For anyone who has enjoyed getting to know Peggy & Marine Life Studies either back in April/May 2011 or summer/autumn 2012, she is, as ever, in need of your support to continue her work. Please check the links below if you are willing and able to send a small donation her way…

A Gift that Gives
Birdies for Charity
Montery County Gives!
Donate a vehicle to MLS
Take it to the Streets

The trials and tribulations of killer whale research – part 2

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If you read my last post you will appreciate some of the difficulties and uncertainties of cetacean research. It is far from easy! Becoming a proficient researcher depends on having, or attaining, certain attributes of character, including: patience, determination and flexibility. The researchers I know have an almost limitless patience for, and acceptance of, the sometimes daunting, trivial, impossible, stressful, hilarious, frustrating or distressing challenges they face every single day. The average person could be forgiven if they gave up, wept and decided to become a cat-herder instead. But for a researcher, cetaceans are so infused into their being, in their blood, heart and head, that they could not conceive of a life lived any other way and will always find the means to further their research, whatever the obstacles.

To some of us, the point and validity of such research, and such a life, may not seem obvious. Who cares what the population distribution and abundance of a spotted dolphin is? Why would I want to know the male to female ratio of gray whales? What is so fascinating about the feeding behavior of sperm whales? Let the whales and dolphins be, why bother prying into their private lives!? But, from a wider perspective, who are we to question the validity of anyone else’s passion simply because we do not share a passion for the particular subject they are passionate about? Surely, we can respect and admire the simple fact that they are passionate about SOMETHING, and furthermore that they ACTIVELY pursue that passion and have not allowed the FEAR of doing so to conquer them. And, from mother Earth’s perspective, such research contributes to the quest to look after her ocean dwelling children, for which I am sure she nods her head in approval.

All of which brings us back to Peggy Stap of Marine Life Studies, one such whale-addicted researcher who spends the majority of her time initiating conservation and education work, and the minority engaged in her passion for killer whale research. My last post documented our research attempts this April, when elemental forces either prevented our expeditions entirely, almost resulted in an upturned boat or lavished us with an abundance of rain. But, what were those three remaining bullet points left hanging mid-blog? There is a little more of the story left to tell…

Chasing strange smells, oily slicks and elusive reports of killer whales

So, one morning as Peggy and I headed round the bay to Moss Landing harbor, we received a report that killer whales had been spotted far out in the bay, possibly hunting, possibly with prey. Our sense of excitement rose twofold! We met Kate and Cindy, readied the boat in double-quick time and headed out to sea. Peggy took the wheel; as a seasoned captain we needed her to drive us as quickly as conditions, safety and good practice allowed. Even so, it was an hour or more before we reached the last known coordinates of the orcas. As we neared the area, a strange smell was in the air. A hard to explain smell; kind of bloody and oily and pungent, although not distasteful. Peggy stopped the boat. The smell was distinctive and one that Peggy and Kate have smelt many times at sea; it was the smell of a kill, the smell of blubber and other internal parts. Somewhere close by and sometime not long ago, killer whales had been here with prey at the surface. Maybe they had made their kill here. Maybe they had dragged it here from another location. Maybe they had been eating at the surface, (orcas sometimes eat underwater, with the body suspended in the water column, and sometimes at the surface). There was no way of knowing and, likewise, no way for us to know what animal had died in the predator-prey dance today. We looked, gazed and scanned some more, each of us straining to take in an expanse of blue-green waves in a wide arc around us, stretching our vision to the horizon, which from the height of our small boat was three miles. We waited expectantly, hoping to catch sight of blow (a whale’s out breath) or better still, the tall, dark, distinctive dorsal fin of a proficient hunter. Nothing… The smell dissipated…

We carried on until we reached their last known coordinates, wondering how likely it was that they would still be here after so much time had elapsed. Alas, of course, they were already gone. We headed in the direction which they were last seen travelling in and maintained that course while our eyes ranged unceasingly across the bare horizon.

A while later we came across another hint that orcas had been in the area with a successful kill. It was an ‘EX’ day in terms of sighting conditions, with a very calm and glassy ocean around us, some sun but not too much glare. In the distance Kate spotted a patch of ocean that looked different from the rest. It appeared somehow smoother and had an oily looking film on its surface. We slowed the boat and drew up close to the oily slick. A similar smell to before hung in the air. This had undoubtedly also been the sight of a kill or a feast, with the oily patch created from the blubber and liquids of the prey. But, everything was frustratingly intangible… We looked, we listened, we smelt, but no orcas indulged us with their presence and once again we were left with as many questions as before. Had this been the same group of killer whales or a different one? How many had been here? What had been their kill? Was it the same kill as before or a fresh one? (We were quite a distance from where we had smelt kill in the air before, but orcas are capable of moving their prey, depending on the size.)

Our questions remained unanswered. We covered a huge distance in the bay that day, heading alternately in the direction the orcas had last been seen travelling in, by Peggy’s special map highlighting killer whale hotspots in the bay (built from her data on previous orca sightings), and by misguided instinct. Whenever we stopped we dropped the hydrophone in the water, as Peggy has on occasion found orcas from sound alone, but we never heard a whisper of killer whale activity. (Not that transient orcas are known for being loud; they often maintain silence in order not to alert their prey, but they will vocalize when not engaged in the hunt.)

At any point during the day they could have been close by, without us even knowing it. Kate and Peggy have professional-whale-spotting-eyes, but even with their experienced vision (and Cindy’s and my less experienced but still competent eyes), we were out of luck. Killer whales are experts at subterfuge; if they do not want to be found, they are capable of travelling underwater until out of range. And when they surface their fin may appear for only the barest flicker of time and, if your eyes happen to be scanning another patch of ocean, you can miss them. On one of the large whale watching boats we might have stood a better chance as sighting distances increases dramatically the higher up your vantage point. But, there was no point in wondering what might have been; cetacean researchers have many such days as these and must learn to take them in their stride.

At the end of the day, we headed home with reams of data recording near-sightings and evidence of killer whale activity, but nothing concrete and not one single photo of a magical, glistening, night-shade, peak of fin.

Now, I am going to jump bullet points to the short and sweet…

Briefly spotting three orcas, before inadvertently, but ever so quickly, losing them again

And that really pretty much says it all. On this particular research day, we heard a reported orca sighting on the radio and headed to the area. There indeed were three killer whales, which we saw for all of about three minutes before they dived out of sight and went on their secretive way… We never found them again that day.

In fact, in all of my two week stay in Monterey, this was our one and only killer whale sighting. (The action heated up a few days after I left, when on one occasion Peggy found orcas hunting a minke whale and on another, orcas and humpbacks interacting in unusual ways… So the flow of peaks and troughs takes us; we never know when we will be dealt a ‘lucky’ or ‘unlucky’ day, likewise for a minke whale, orca or any other animal.)

The Toxic Pinnacle

That last undealt with bullet point, (the one with dolphins and an excitable dog), I will save for a final post. But for now, one sobering fact. The transient killer whales that frequent Monterey Bay, among other places in the NE Pacific, enjoy the dubious title of being, possibly, the most toxic animals on the planet. Transients are believed to be top of the list because of their diet; whereas, for example, resident orcas eat salmon, transients eat marine mammals. This puts them just about as high up the food chain as it is possible to get. They sit on the very pinnacle and unfortunately this is a dangerous place to be.

I will write more about this topic in the future, but in a nutshell, some of the pollutants which we put into the ocean never, ever, quite fully disappear. We have produced substances to be so wonderfully long lasting, (we love plastic because it lasts FOREVER right?!), that they really do just that. They last, and last, and last. Unfortunately, of course, in our childish dismissal of consequences, we have managed to create very HARMFUL substances which LAST and LAST and LAST. So, when a tiny organism ingests a tiny bit of harmful chemical, that harmful chemical stays in its body; it does not get miraculously transformed by the animal into something less harmful, it is not excreted back out again, and it does not break down of its own accord. It stays put. So when that animal is eaten, along with several others, the harmful chemicals get transferred to the predator… And when that predator is eaten, along with several others, it gets transferred again. Once the toxin is in the food chain it never leaves; it just becomes ever more concentrated as it is transferred up the food chain. Right to the very top, the pinnacle, where sits our majestic transient killer whale.

Scientists do not know for sure yet but they believe that, although current adult male orcas contain higher levels of toxin than females, they will maybe, possibly, probably manage to live a decent, if possibly shortened, life. But, why do females have a lower concentration? The irony is pretty torturous… The miraculous life-giving gift of the female is to give birth and transfer her nourishment to her offspring. From within the womb, to suckling from its mother, a baby killer whale is being given frequent, concentrated doses of harmful chemicals along with its life sustaining nourishment. As far as human science has so far discovered, (and of course it is rare for objective research into the harmful effects of chemicals to be funded), these chemicals affect in particular, thyroid and reproductive functioning, and the immune system. The consequences of such poisoning to orcas, and other animals including ourselves, may only be clearly evident to the most willful of deniers once today’s young orcas grow up. Monterey Bay recovered from the last manmade wound inflicted upon it. Whether its inhabitants and visitors will recover from this more insidious wound is, as yet, unknown.

If you are reading this and wondering, “Yes, but what can I do about it, there is no point in knowing this stuff when it is not within my power to do anything about it, I’d rather not know!” The best advice I can give you is actually to find out more, even though part of you revolts at the thought of doing so. Do not even worry what you can or cannot do, just bring a researcher’s intense curiosity to the subject. Leave any feelings of doom and gloom, negativity, blame, guilt or impotence to the side; they are not useful. Simply choose to learn more. We all love surfing the net, some of us could do it all day long. So surf… Go and find some websites with more information… Those websites will lead to others… You will soon find yourself immersed in a whole new world of learning. We can only take small steps. I do not believe anyone will ‘Stand up and Take Action’ without first learning more and gradually, organically, increasing their capacity to care, to be active, to WANT to stand up and take action. There are things that you and I can do, that we can all do… But you are not going to do them if you have not first developed a strong enough PASSION, WILL and LOVE to do so, coupled with a researcher’s patience, determination and flexibility.

So, go and explore, in whatever way gives you pleasure to do so… And I’ll leave you with a few sources to get you started, some of which I am already connected with, but all of which are easy to find in about five minutes flat:

http://www.planetwhale.com/Save-the-Whales-Reloaded-launch   http://www.savethewhalesreloaded.org/?page_id=563   http://www.orcanetwork.org/nathist/WhalewatcheVol40No12011.pdf             http://5gyres.org/                                                 http://wildwhales.org/conservation/threats/toxins/  http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/ocean_pollution.htm                   http://acsonline.org/   http://www.ted.com/talks/dianna_cohen_tough_truths_about_plastic_pollution.html   http://www.marinelifestudies.org/index.php/about-marine-debris.html
ALL KILLER WHALE PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEGGY STAP / MARINE LIFE STUDIES - COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO PEGGY STAP / MARINE LIFE STUDIES
KILLER WHALE WITH MINKE WHALE PHOTO TAKEN UNDER NMFS PERMIT #15621

The trials and tribulations of killer whale research

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Can my memory stretch back that far…? Back to this April when I revisited Peggy Stap of Marine Life Studies (MLS), to assist her once again with her research in Monterey Bay, attempting to track down some enigmatic killer whales…? (Those smart and elusive animals that experienced spotters on the bay’s many whale watching boats often only find once in an azure-blue moon).

Well, in all honesty I will say that my memory is pretty appalling at best, but I will attempt to recapture the fragments that my leaking-boat of a brain still holds.

I was staying with Peggy for two weeks… Two weeks of intensive research… Out on her boat ‘Sweetpea’ every day on the hunt… Photographing dorsal fins left, right and center (the established method for identifying individuals)… Recording reams of written data on their behaviour, numbers, interactions with other animals… Slowly, slowly building up a network of data that on its own may seem insignificant but, over the days, months and years, becomes a valuable repository of information to be used as crucial evidence in some future moment of political or business decision making that may impact the lives of whales for better or worse… Important, scientific inquiry… Long, exhausting days at sea from pre-dawn to dusk, plus hours of imputing data into computer programs, processing photographs and establishing whale ID’s…

Well, that was supposed to be the general idea… Assuming that we could get out on the water… BUT, assumptions have no control over the weather or the ocean. (When have human assumptions, thoughts, wishes or demands ever convinced such powers of nature to obey?)

For almost a week of my two week stay we remained grounded on dry land. The wind blew and the waves in Monterey Bay frolicked in response; adorned with more gleeful, white tiaras of foam than I have ever seen in the bay, (more even than Peggy is generally used to seeing). We grew accustomed to the official sea reports displaying advisory warnings for boaters and we enjoyed the view from Peggy’s window; watching the waves run away to join the circus and come back to put on a show. We could but sigh wisely, nod our heads and acknowledge that this was just one more example of the complications and challenges of being a cetacean researcher.  And, with the amount of work which Peggy ALWAYS has lying in piles and on long lists all around her, the week was of course put to good use.

During our second week, providence saw fit to deliver a mixed bag of offerings, the highlights of which were:

  • Almost, but not quite, capsizing and living to tell the tale
  • Being rained on intensely, and for long periods of time
  • Chasing strange smells, oily slicks and elusive reports of killer whales hunting prey
  • Being an object of sport for fast paced dolphins, while simultaneously navigating round humpback whales, testing an underwater camera and preventing an excited dog from falling overboard
  • Briefly spotting three orcas, before inadvertently, but ever so quickly, losing them again

Let me elaborate…

Almost, but not quite, capsizing and living to tell the tale

Well, we almost made it out of Moss Landing harbor, certainly no one can say we lacked enthusiasm for the task. This was to be our first day out and we had Blue Ocean Whale Watch’s naturalist and MLS volunteer Kate Cummings at the wheel. The sea was still only just returning from the circus (and wondering what had gotten into itself) and we had heard some strange, curious warnings about the perils of Moss Landing’s harbor mouth… But we heeded them not. Peggy and I had spent several hours preparing gear ready to take to the boat and the three of us worked hard on stowing it all securely. Whiskie the Whale Spotter, the seasoned sea-dog that she is, was on the boat, wrapped up in her many layered outfit, ready to sniff out a few whales for us.

And all went well. For about the first five minutes. And then… It didn’t go so well after that.

As we turned the corner from the main harbor and out towards the harbor mouth, the waves being pushed and channelled in from the open water outside the harbor suddenly appeared to be rearing up in front of us, dauntingly and unexpectedly high. In that strange way that time often does backflips in moments like these, and even though Kate had slowed the boat almost to standstill as we questioned the wisdom of any attempt to exit the mouth, all at once we were right in the center of it, with the channel narrowed around us and the waves coming towards us, proudly presenting their highest and most powerful peaks.

And then there it was… Neptune’s moment of glory… A wall of water right in front of the bow and bearing down on us… Everyone grabbed hold of something, anything, and somehow Whiskie got herself to safety further back in the boat… Sweetpea climbed painfully up the blue-grey wall, and I remember wondering vaguely in frozen-brain state if she would flip over as she neared the peak, then the wave smashed onto us and was gone. In a second, the boat, us and Whiskie were drenched, and there was water filling the tiny deck all around us, with boxes of equipment that had been knocked from their carefully stowed positions floating pathetically in it.

And somehow we were now sideways on to the waves… A dangerous place to be… And the next wave was showing no mercy but heading straight towards us… If it hit the boat sideways it would most likely flip it, and us, over… But Kate was at the wheel and, although she was still new to captaining a boat, she kept her cool, gave some power to the engines and turned the wheel… Just in time. The next wave hit as we were almost perpendicular to it and we were carried, in a lurching-awkwardly-to-one-side kind of way, on its crest, like some virgin surfer having a miraculous moment of beginner’s luck, back in towards port.

And that was pretty much that. We were all in one piece. Kate was a hero. The boat was a complete mess. We were sodden and shaken. And Whiskie did not seem to care… So much for our day on the ocean, but that did not matter. We were alive and we had just been given a powerful lesson; never, ever, ever, not even in your sweetest dreams, be lulled into thinking that Life Is Safe. It is beautiful, it is a mystery, it is a miracle, and it may even love you… But the Promise of Life will forever also hold uncertainty, fear, pain, danger, death and decay in its outstretched, benevolent hand. Still, you know, always look on the bright side…

Being rained on intensely, and for long periods of time

A much simpler tale to tell, and far less dramatic. We did eventually get out to sea and we did have several days ON the water. However, we also spent some not insignificant periods of time, IN it too. It rained on us. Lots. And then some. Not every day, but on a couple of particularly sodden days, the rain really did seem to want to make up for the fact that it had left us dry on previous occasions. (Never forget… the distinct lack of obedience coupled with uncertainty held in the benevolent hand.)

Now, I enjoy rain. And I look back on those water-logged days with a kind of childlike glee. We had our ‘might save your life if you fall in the ocean, and should at least prolong it, but don’t wear to a fashion parade’ suits on, so we had some protection. But still, after a day at sea, we all managed to arrive back in port with water inside the suits, inside our boots, inside our gloves and inside our ears. Our make-up had given up, run down our faces and slid off onto the deck of the boat, and our hands took on that wonderfully endearing, wrinkled prune texture.

The PROBLEM, or should I say CHALLENGE, with the rain, was visibility. In dearest little Sweetpea, (and I should add that she is open to the elements on all sides), we can only see about three miles in any direction under the best of conditions. Low, grey, dark clouds, with rain hitting waves and casting spray, a breeze and anything greater than 1 on the Beaufort scale (used for measuring surface wave state), do not constitute good conditions. MLS‘s data sheet where the data recorder (sometimes myself, sometimes other volunteers) records various measurements, has boxes for, amongst other things: sea state, visibility and cloud cover. Visibility can be marked as EX, GD, FR or PR; it does not take much to decipher the short hand. On our most rainy day at sea, I was driving the boat while Cindy Thomas, who volunteers with both MLS and Blue Ocean Whale Watch, was recording data. So I cannot be totally sure, but I would hazard a guess that she entered PR for the majority of that day.

In short, during our rainiest days out in Monterey Bay, we did not see any killer whales. In fact, on one day I don’t think we saw any sign of life under the waves at all. We did however spend the eight or so hours faithfully scanning every inch of ocean, (with each person informally taking turns to assume responsibility for one patch of blue-green-grey-ness be that, bow, aft, port or starboard), talking in companionable good humor, dancing some must-get-warm jigs, wishing we’d brought bigger flasks of hot tea, and occasionally being brave enough to pull down our yellow/orange jelly-baby-suits to pee in not-quite-ladylike fashion over the back of the boat.

But now, this whale of a tale has miraculously grown legs and run away on them, so for the rest of those bullet points, (left dangerously hanging somewhere near the top of this post), I’ll have to complete them in my next post… And I’ll be very happy if you’ll be kind enough to come back and read them soon.

Flukes, fun and festivities

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Well this orca seems to have an eye on me, while I attempt to emulate an octopus; engaged in sorting, finalising, packing and completing eight things at once, intent on fitting my life into a suitcase ready to rejoin my husband in America next week. However, I am afraid that despite my best attempts, my octopus impression does not quite stretch to being abe to write a ‘real’ blog post right now. (To the disapproval of my watching killer whale friend I am sure.) But I can at least give a couple of shout outs for two up and coming events which anyone with an interest in flukes, flippers, blowholes and other such whale related curiosities, may jump at the chance to attend.

The wording below is taken from Marine Life Studies and Planet Whale’s promotional materials. Please visit their websites for more details.

“Flip for Whales“ Sunset Cruise and Yacht Club Party, featuring National Geographic photographer, Charles “Flip” Nicklin, Saturday October 20th, Monterey Bay, Calfornia, USA

This fundraising event will support Marine Life Studies’ whale and dolphin research, the Whale Entanglement Team (W.E.T.), and free educational programs for children, youth, and adults.

The sunset cruise, 4 to 7 pm, departs Moss Landing Harbor on the Blue Ocean Whale Watch vessel, “High Spirits”. Special guest Flip Nicklin will be featured along with live music by Jim Davis, wine, appetizers, and a silent and live auction.

The yacht club party, 7 to 10 pm, is at the Elkhorn Yacht Club in Moss Landing. Activities include a special presentation by Flip Nicklin and Peggy Stap, Executive Director of Marine Life Studies, live music by composer/pianist Nick Peter Fettis, wine, appetizers, and a silent and live auction.

Mingle with Flip during this event where he will: share stories of his adventures photographing whales and dolphins around the world; give pointers on how to take that perfect “National Geographic” photo; sign his book “Among Giants:  A Life with Whales” which will be available for purchase.

Minimum donation is $125 per ticket. Donations are tax deductible. Limited tickets are available so call 831.901.3833 to make a reservation or visit the website at www.marinelifestudies.org

‘Save the Whales’ Reloaded: WhaleFest 25-28th October 2012, Brighton, UK

Thirty years ago the world voted to ‘save’ the whale. Now it’s time to inspire the next generation to finish the job at the very place where that monumental vote was first made. WhaleFest is the world’s biggest celebration and declaration for whales and dolphins, organised by the Planet Whale team.

Celebrities and expert speakers at WhaleFest will include Bill Oddie, Doug Allan, Mark Carwardine, Ingrid Visser, Pete Bethune, Mark Simmonds, Philip Hoare, Erich Hoyt, Gill Lewis and Nicola Davies.

The World Whale Conference will be held on 25th and 26th October; your chance to make a difference along with cetacean conservationists from around the world.

The festival will take place on 27th and 28th October. Activities include ocean storytelling, speed dating with marine experts, music and arts, competitions and much more.

Children’s tickets are free and adult tickets range from £7.50-16.50 for one or two days of the weekend festival. For more details on these, plus tickets to the World Whale Conference, please visit: http://www.whale-fest.com/