whales and tales

8/9/2019 Whales and Tales

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About the Author

Anita Johnson was born in South East London and now lives with her

husband and son in Kent. Her passion for cetaceans and wildlife was herinspiration. The result – hanging off boats to admire and be ‘kissed’ by

whales and dolphins and to share extraordinary moments with African safariwild residents!


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Dedications

For Barry and Howard - my love and my life

For my Mum & Dad – for giving me the inspirationFor my brothers Colin and Noel - thank you from the heart

For my family and friendsFor Lizzie – thank you for your adviceFor everyone to enjoyFor Me


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Foreword

When you have a passion for something, you should grab it with both hands and

strive to make your dream come true.We all have our routines, our everyday schedules such as work and home

life that can overshadow our ambitions and lead us to put off even our smallestof wishes.

Our everyday worries, whether financial, family orientated or the stresses

of our deadlines and daily tasks can be overwhelming obstacles stopping usfrom achieving lifetime experiences of wonder. With determination and strongwill, we can reach our personal goals and create memories that will last a

lifetime!This book is my dream come true! This is about my passionate obsession

for all things wild! My love of dolphins, whales and of adventure enabled andspurred me into action. To achieve my ambition to visit these mysterious andwondrous animals and then to tell you all about my experiences is beyond a

dream come true – it is a reality that I hope will encourage others to realise their potential and to strive to touch these dreams that were always thoughtunreachable.

I hope this book enlightens you, pierces your soul and lifts your heart andspirit beyond your imagination. If it helps you to aim for your lifetime ambition,

even in the smallest way, then my travels and sacrifices to get me to mine were

worth every effort and every moment. It is a great feeling to achieve your goals, believe me I know…!

Enjoy my real life stories of my encounters, of my achievements and of mylife changing experiences, I wish you luck and success with reaching yours!


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The Beginning

Adventure, for me, has always been seeing new places and doing new and

exciting things. I knew there was a big, wide, world out there. I had packed twosuitcases, my whole life, and flown to Downtown Vancouver on 2nd June 2001;

this was to be a date in my calendar that would always be significant in my life.This visit was the biggest adventure I had so far encountered. I was older thanmost avid travellers – I had done, and was still to do everything ‘late’ in life.

I considered it the ‘right time’ and I was ready to experience all thingsunique and special that the world had to offer from now on…

I was so not prepared for the level of adventure, of excitement and thrill

and nor was I prepared for the intensity of the passion that I was to unleashwithin.

That year, I had shown bravery that I did not know existed in me before.To leave one’s family is, in itself, a major upheaval. To travel to another countryfor a ‘long stay’ was just crazy and totally alien for me.

Once I had settled in Vancouver and discovered the delights that BritishColumbia had to offer – well, that opened up my heart to my passion: my eternal passionate obsession for all things cetacean and wild. This was the start of great

adventures for me!


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7th

July 2001 Ucluelet, B.C.

After arriving in Ucluelet, on the Pacific Rim side of Vancouver Island, British

Columbia last night, we got up at 9am and started to get ready for a mostwonderful adventure!

We arrived at Jamie’s Whaling Station at 11.30am and checked into thetour. We were given red ‘floating suits’, which we climbed into and put thegloves that came with it into the pocket for later. We climbed on board a 12-

seater Zodiac rubber inflatable speedboat and off we went. These boats are used by the coastguards and rescue services because of their agility and because it isimpossible to turn these boats over, even on the roughest waves.

We got outside the harbour; the speed was raised to excitement level in aninstant and we arrived at the centre of a wide open sea with islands all around

us! In a zodiac, at full speed or at least close to maximum, you literally feel likeyou are flying across the ocean! Sitting in a confined space, with completestrangers, you totally lose your inhibitions and just take in the whole experience.

As a total novice of these vehicles, I was never scared as such; a bitapprehensive maybe, of a new test of one’s bravery and how high a level youradrenalin can be sent to. However, the whole experience was exhilarating and

addictive – I was to be forever a fan of this boat.It would seem that the captain, and self-taught naturalist, knew exactly

where to go, as only 10 minutes had passed and there it was – a Grey whale! –

spray coming up out of its blowhole in a long ghostlike plume, up into the sky asit came out of the water and just rolled right back into the sea. You just got a

glimpse of its huge body and heard its breath and then it was gone. It was about100 yards away and we sped over to greet it.

Well, it was worth it. This Grey was definitely ‘friendly’, as Scott had

described it – it came over to our boat and started to play with us!My friend Lesley and I were at the front of the boat, with four other

fanatics behind. The Grey kept putting its tail out of the water and waved it at

us. It sprayed us all as it came out of the depths, the smell of fish was so strong

and the salt from its breath landed heavy on our lips. It disappeared for a shortwhile – the next thing, it was under our boat. Its tail was to our right and its headwas to our left – this 35 foot beauty was ‘loving’ the contact with us and the boat (apparently, it had done this with the early morning tour!). It seemed this

creature had no bad feelings towards us humans, thank the heavens.It continued to go under, around and past the boat. It came right up to us,

surfaced to our left! Lesley was looking right into its eye, when it breathed and

sprayed its fishy, salty vapour right into her face! A whale’s kiss, now that is amemory of substantial proportions.

This creature is just beautiful! Grey coloured, with yellow/gold barnaclesscattered around its head, white patches here and there and spots on its belly.

The tail is white on the underside and spotted, so when it throws its tail up youcan see the different markings. These different characteristics have helped


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scientists in the identification process of the species and in their life andmigration patterns. This is very important for their conservation.

After it played with us, continuing to roll over, dive, breathe and spray us

with its fishy breath, and show its tail, it disappeared! Going to find food nodoubt? Grey whales are bottom feeders, meaning they scan the ocean floor in

search of squid, fish and other fodder. They have long beaks, which are used forthis purpose, making fishing easier and more practical for them.

After a good hour and a half, we started the engines - you must have all

engines off when close to any marine life, for their protection and to keepharassment to a minimum - and sped the other way where the guide had seenanother friendly! Two in one tour, surely no one could be this lucky?

This mammal (a mammal is like us – it bears calves, suckles its young andhas to breathe air on a regular basis), maybe a brother or sister of the first whale

we saw, started to play with us too! Rolling over, lifting its fin up, as if it was

waving to us, showing its tail, swimming under the boat and around it, andspraying us! At one stage, it came over to my side of the boat and surfaced and I

looked it straight in the eye – gorgeous! It was as if we had just greeted eachother! I was speechless from such a life-changing moment, totally in awe of thisnew friend! It was really checking me out, wondering what kind of animal I was

and what I was doing here in the middle of the ocean and why was I sointerested in him or her? I could answer that – they are the most amazing

creatures to behold. Truly inspiring and spiritual, making you assess your lifeand realising your passions. Lesley and I found ourselves hugging each other in

the middle of our inflatable. Tears were welling up in my eyes and ourexcitement was contagious and overwhelming. I was so pleased to have sharedthis moment with her; such a memory will bond us forever.

Back under the boat, spraying, rolling, and playing! It came up again near

me and I saw its whole huge, beaked mouth. I could not believe how big, butgentle this creature was. It must have been about 10 feet wide (at least and that’s just my guess), 35 tons – 1 ton per foot! And here it was, interested in us

humans. This shows its intelligence and a whale’s total pleasure in interactionwith other species!

It even lifted the boat a few times. It was underneath the back end andrubbing its back on the bottom – this made the boat ‘jump’ slightly! It nevermade us feel insecure and never threatened us; it is just not in its nature. It was

using the boat to scratch its back – Grey whales have many whale lice that griponto their skin. These lice must irritate them so much, constantly itching andtormenting! Also, barnacles attach themselves to whales and they too must be a

pest at times.These animals can live for up to 60 years. Apparently, the two we saw

were a lot younger, perhaps only about 35 years old. The older whalesremember what man did to the species during the mass slaughter decades before

and they tend to stay away. We did see two mature whales pass us further out toour right. They would not approach as they were truly not impressed by our presence. They must have horrific memories of our predecessors.

But this whale really wanted to be with us, as did the other one before it .


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It’s a shame in a way because whales are becoming so trusting again andthere are talks about restarting whaling! This would be disastrous – the whaleswould disappear from this area and never revisit to play – what a loss to us!

I have taken a whole film of photos, Lesley used up two rolls! I never inmy wildest dreams thought that I would be so lucky as to see a Grey whale in

such close proximity. I felt so high, so privileged and so emotional, but yet socalm. There is definitely a spiritual presence with these beings! I felt like I wasat peace with everything.

Our guide, Scott, had a broom on the boat. This was used to rub thewhale’s belly (that’s how close it was happy to be!). The whale seemed to lovethe contact, another show of intelligence. Scott obviously enjoyed their company

so much; his smile said it all as he tickled its tummy like it was a household pet!Scott was very knowledgeable and very passionate about these visitors.

We spent over 1½ hours with each of these two friendlies! I was expecting

to see a tail, a spray of vapour here and there and an occasional body as a whalecame slightly out of the water and then returned back down for 10-15 minutes.

But to see what I did?! Lesley and I just hugged again. That was how we felt! Itwas the first time for us both. Wow, what a day! What an experience – my firstof many! I want to go out there again and again – spend as much time with a

‘friendly’ – not just a Grey, but all the species that live in these waters.After we had been sprayed and tasted the salt on our lips, we left the

whales to feed and rode over to where Scott had seen a sea otter. What a beautiful creature! Just reintroduced to the shores of B.C., this otter was lying on

its back and must have been eating as it looked like it was trying to smash aclam with a rock on its belly! Lesley and I looked at it through our binocularswhich made it even more exciting and real! I had seen this activity on the TV,on a nature programme which explained how otters had learned this procedure

from their ancestors. Their ability to pass on vital survival techniques is trulyunique and impressive.

There was another Grey whale in the background, amongst the kelp. This

one not a friendly but impressive none the less! Just to glimpse any whale or seadweller, even for a short time is a privilege beyond words.

We then moved to another island where we saw harbour seals relaxing onthe rocks. Again we looked at them through the binoculars – really sweet things.Very inquisitive! One woke up, seemed to have spotted us, was not at all

bothered that we were intruding, and then went back to sleep. There were somein the water and they poked their heads out like submarine periscopes, had aquick look around and then were gone. Their quickness left an imprint on your

brain like no other. You would think that you had not seen them at all, if not forthe picture that was forever lodged in your mind’s eye for eternity. If you close

your eyes, you will still see them even when you are at home doing the washingup…

We then went to another island – crashing over the huge swell thatsurrounded it, which was fun – my kind of rollercoaster!

We saw sea lions and more seals but of a different species. The sea lionswere huge, blubbery things and the noise? Phew! The females are so small –

what a life – to be chased and nearly squashed by the huge dominant males! The


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babies have no chance and are sometimes crushed in all the chaos and riots thatoccur during mating season. The noise these guys make – like grunting orsnoring but so much louder. Apparently they lift their heads up and sit proud on

the rocks, not to intimidate of which I must admit they do a very good job, ohno, but to let the ‘mucus’ that they seem to have in abundance run down the

back of their throats so as to clear their noses! Yuk! The noise matches theintense and very disturbing smell that these animals produce. Absolutelydisgusting aroma! Rotten fish faeces mixed into the air and hung there like soup

in a cauldron! Invisible but offensive beyond words, this was not the best aspectof seeing these angels of the ocean!

There were lots of the females playing in the water in front of us.

Sometimes they do come over to the boats, but not today. Today they seemed to be socialising together and having fun in the swells.

We left them in peace and started heading back. We stopped off at the

oldest eagle nest (about 40 years old), complete with Bald Eagle and chick!Wow, this bird is just awesome! It has a way about it. I did see the chick through

my binoculars and got a photo of the impressive nest (my camera does not reallyshow the size and intricacy of its home). I sat looking up at this nest for a time,as we bounced over the waves and enjoyed the peace of this place.

Well, as you can imagine, when we got back to the ‘ranch’, I was as highas a kite! As was Lesley! What a first trip! Talk about lucky! I must have an

angel looking over me! Nanny May probably? Next stop…. Victoria. Orcas, Humpbacks and dolphins?!

This is why I have always held such a passion for cetaceans and other sealife. This first experience has only intensified my determination to see more oftheir cousins and other relatives.

Friendly Grey whale close up to our boat. You could see its blowholes and its

beaked mouth so distinctly.


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Grey whale’s flipper – it was ‘waving’ it at us!

The Grey whale was rolling its tail around and showing off for us. You can see

the white spots – these help scientists identify and track the whales.

Most amazing ‘close up’. This Grey was checking us out. My friend Lesley’s

head helps show just how close the whale came up to us. The spatters on the

water are the remnants of its fishy breath!


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My best shot of a whale fluke. This Grey was so close and it was loving showing off!

The Grey splashing itself with its fishy breath!

This was when Lesley received a big fishy whale kiss!

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