DIVING in the AZORES: Snorkeling with Sperm whales

‘Baleia, Baleia!'

Today I can go hunting for the first time. The morning fog gives way to a beautiful clear blue sky and a mirror-smooth sea. An almost perfect day to sail with daddy's self-made boat. But I feel a real calm before the storm. A little later I now find myself in the middle of a fight between man and animal for the first time. Harpoons with large barbs pierce the back of a giant sea monster. The yacht on our opposite side is crushed under the moans of this huge predator. The sea is colored red and victory is near. But Antonio, my best friend's father, takes his last breath and dies. This violent scene completely turns my life upside down.

This is the most touching story of Liliana's dad.

The Azores are located at the tri-plate point of the Eurasian, North American and African tectonic plates. As these plates moved apart, magma escaped and was given the opportunity to form new land. This is how this oceanic archipelago was created, where until 1980 whaling was the main source of income. Fortunately, whaling has now been stopped and even banned. The last whale was killed in 1987 and today the Azores have become Europe's best kept secret.

The nine inhabited and eight uninhabited islands of the Azores lie on either side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is the longest mountain range in the world and is largely under water. This ocean ridge stretches from the Arctic Ocean, across Iceland and the Azores, across the equator to end just before Antarctica. The island shelves and escarpments of the Azores provide the only shelter from the infamous seas of the Northeast Atlantic. Thanks to this Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the islands are surrounded by very deep water. The steep slopes also cause the phenomenon of 'upwelling'. Vertical ocean currents bring up cold and mineral-rich water, which provides an abundance of nutrients. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge also prevents the nutrients from spreading all over the ocean. In combination with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the slopes make the Azores one of the areas richest in different types of large marine life.

'Els and Bruno, are you ready?' After three days on the mainland, due to the bad weather conditions, I've had it. The name Azores, which echoes almost daily in our weather report, has lived up to its reputation. The Azores High (the semi-permanent high pressure area of ​​the Azores) and the Icelandic Low (the low pressure area or depression) are only known to me for influencing our weather in the Netherlands and Belgium. And I thought that this high pressure area in the Azores always provided good weather here.

But today, we go out. After an hour of sailing we are now floating on the water, a few hundred meters away from the mainland. It's dead quiet. And suddenly, … ppppsssshhhhhh. A sperm whale has appeared from the depths to the surface. Bah, how quickly I want to get into the water to admire this animal in its natural environment. Michael, our captain and co-owner of the dive center CW-Azores whispers… 'Els and Bruno, observe and enjoy your first encounter with… the sperm whale'. But Michael, we want to see and photograph this animal up close?! "We're late!" The lungs of this gigantic animal are filled and he dives down.

Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales on Earth. The females grow up to about 12.5 meters while the males can grow up to 18 meters. They are specialized in making deep dives of more than 3000 meters, in order to look for food. Sperm whales mainly eat giant squids that live at great depths. Like humans and all other mammals, sperm whales breathe using their lungs. Five minutes on the surface are enough to fill the lungs and make a dive that can last up to almost 2 hours. And if we have to be quick…

Michael's timer is running. He knows this whale and tells us that it comes up every 42 minutes. So exactly? Is this a joke? No! 35 minutes later we can get ready. For the first time I think we can go in the water with this beautiful marine mammal. "Hang on!" The zodiac's powerful engine suddenly revs up. I look around and see… nothing. Where are we going? Mona, our guide shows us a direction, but I still don't see anything. The zodiac is equipped with seats and that is absolutely necessary. We fly over the water, so to speak, and occasionally get a hard knock. Fortunately we have a very flat sea today. Suddenly the engine starts to turn very slowly and I see a large black back appear on the surface. What a gigantic beast! It's a male and Michael brings us closer. 'Ready? Els wait! Go Bruno go'. My heart races and with a hard splash I jump impatiently into the water. My turbo kicks on and I want to get closer to this animal as soon as possible. My legs go up and down at a super fast pace. But in vain. This whale always keeps me at the same distance and just makes me go round and round until I almost drop. With full force Michael pulls me back into the zodiac. Meanwhile, Els is now in the water and she in turn tries to get close to this magnificent sea creature. Six attempts later, Els and I are getting tired. From the second drop I pulled myself up in the zodiac like an accomplished diver, but this time I really can't do it anymore. Michael, can you please help me? No problem Bruno. This is normal and I don't want to kill you on the first day'.

Although sperm whales are among the world's largest predators, they are quite shy. In addition, sperm whales have a lifespan that is about the same as that of humans. They can live up to 70 years. The older whales of the Azores have thus experienced whaling. It is therefore understandable that they keep a sufficient distance from people and boats. Three days later, Els's courage fades. And to be honest, I also thought this was going to be easier. But just like us, Michael is a real go-getter. Time after time he drops us in the right place. Getting close once is enough I think to myself. Today I even try to address the whales: 'Bruno is here and he loves you. Please come closer and play with me." And miracle by miracle, then something supernatural happens.

A mother with calf has been spotted not far from us. Michael brings us back into pole position and I slowly slide into the water. Out of nowhere I see a dark shadow coming towards me from the depths. I don't move an inch and breathe in and out very calmly. My heart rate is even slowing now and the dark shadow is getting bigger and grayish. The baby sperm whale rises to the surface and still straight towards me! I get goosebumps and get my camera ready. Once on the surface, the baby sperm whale looks me straight in the eye. With this look he touches my soul and as icing on the cake he starts to click.

The sperm whale is the loudest animal on the planet. They can produce clicking sounds up to 230 decibels. 150 dB is enough to rupture your eardrums and an extremely loud sound from the sperm whale could even paralyze prey. Its low-frequency clicks, on the other hand, are used for echolocation and communication.

But this clicking is magical. Not only do I hear it, but I also feel it. The hairs on my skin stand up and these sound waves traverse my body from head to toe. Through my snorkel I try to answer and try to imitate him. Els is now by my side and Michael's boat has also floated to us with the current. The whale calf rolls back and forth and even rubs gently against the boat. What a meeting! Two powerful fin strokes bring him back to his mother. On board the emotions get the upper hand for a while because we realize all too well that this could be a unique and perhaps once-in-a-lifetime encounter.

The next morning there is again a lot of wind. Beautiful lens clouds hang around Mount Pico, the highest point of the Azores. In the meantime I know that this indicates fast air currents in the higher air layers. Due to the strong wind, there are too many waves today and it is impossible for the whale watchers. The whalers of old have now become whale watchers. From their strategically placed watchtowers they scan the ocean for spraying water. With large binoculars, an experienced whale watcher can even tell by the shape of the blow what type of whale it is. There are 28 different species of whales in the waters around the islands of the Azores. In total, 89 cetacean species (Cetacea) have been described to date. They are divided into two subgroups, the toothed whales (Odontoceti) and the baleen whales (Mysticeti). Dolphins are also a family of cetaceans and are abundant here.

It's almost 2:00 PM when Els' cell phone starts ringing. Baleia, Baleia. Whales have been sighted again with a calf. Michael says it's Bruno Junior. Yes! Our baby sperm whale left a strong impression and was christened Bruno Junior. Today we can't hope too much that he will come close again. Apparently, the first contact with a whale is the most important and often remains the only encounter. The five whale spotters on land with whom Michael works are all in radio contact with him all day and again guide us to within 50 meters of the whales. Mama apparently taught Junior a lesson and we don't even get close to her or him on the next drops. Today he doesn't seem to be interested. Time after time we slide into the water and crawl back onto dry land, in the RIB. And there they go again. For the umpteenth time they go into hiding. Fortunately, a baby sperm whale needs to surface to breathe about every 20 minutes.

Due to a lack of whales in the vicinity today, some Whale Watching Tours have now also arrived. Whale watching tours are now one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Azores. Large and fast RIBs can accommodate 12 to 24 people. They all have the same goal. Giving their customers as much information as possible about the whale and allowing them to admire and photograph all kinds of whales for 3 to 4 hours. Strict rules apply in the Azores regarding. whale watching. Once near a whale, the captain must turn off the boat's engine so as not to frighten the animals. He must stay at least 50 meters away from the animal. Even 100 meters when a calf is nearby. This way the whales are not bothered by the noise of the boats and they can no longer be hunted. The animals now ultimately decide for themselves whether they come closer or not. Snorkeling or swimming with all large cetaceans is strictly prohibited. It is not an activity that can be booked or purchased just like that.

Yes, but?!… Ok, we are one of the lucky ones… In the Autonomous Region of the Azores it is possible to go into the water with whales. This requires a special permit and is only granted by the Regional Government of the Azores. These permits are very limited and an authorization is only granted to audiovisual professionals and scientists. Only three permits are granted by the authorities for the same period. For six years Els and I have been trying to obtain this permit. Hundreds of questions and answers have gone back and forth. Drafting paperwork and months of research colored our free evenings. Through this I would like to thank everyone again who together ensured that we have Authorization No. 04-ORAC-2021 from the Regional Director for Sea Affairs of the Azores.

Due to the presence of the larger number of tourists with these whales, we are no longer allowed to enter the water. The whale excursions have a higher priority than the issued permits for audiovisual work and are therefore given priority. We then return to the mainland. On the way we encounter a group of pilot whales or pilot whales, as well as a super pod of common or common dolphins. Dolphins live in pods of about five to 20 animals, known as a "pod." But this group consists of 200 to 300 specimens. In the hope that we only get one of these in the picture we go back into the water. These animals are fast. It looks like they are hunting. They come from left and right, and from below and above. When almost all the animals have disappeared, we just see the last remaining fish from a baitball that come to us for protection.

Our fourteen-day trip to the Azores is coming to an end. One more time we go in search of one of the largest and sweetest giants of the sea. The weight of a sperm whale male can reach up to 57,000 kg. The slimmer females have to make do with about 25,000 kg. In the Azores, the success rate of seeing a sperm whale is over 97%. This is because a number of sperm whales are permanent residents and never leave the islands of the Azores. If this is not enough, I would also like to inform you that several migration routes of larger cetaceans lie along the Azores. Whales usually spend the winter months in warmer southern and tropical waters. The youngsters gain strength here and afterwards make the crossing together to the North Atlantic Ocean where there is an abundance of food. On their way here they pass the Azores where they sometimes spend a few days to rest before continuing their journey. It will therefore not surprise you that in the Azores you can meet and admire about 30% of all known species of whales worldwide.

But for this trip, our main goal is to research and photograph the sperm whale. We are now far away from the mainland and it seems that Bruno Junior really likes to have us around. Today, besides mom, he also has big sister with him. For one last time Michael launches us in the right place at the right time. Els and myself lie still on the water and float with the current towards 3 whales. Side by side we now lie between these 3 gigantic predators, until even a fourth whale shows up. Mama looks me straight in the eye and she seems to realize I'm not a threat at all. Big sister also turns her around and looks at Els from head to toe. The clicking of our cameras doesn't bother them and they seem to submit to this photo shoot. For the very last time, Junior shows up on camera and starts his tune and click sound. But what do you want to tell me? Why don't I understand you? Oooh how I would love to stay with you, be your friend, play together and communicate with you in a correct way. Today is probably the last time I see you, my friend.

I don't think we can ever do better. According to Michael, our previous encounters were already unique, but this meeting will be one of his top moments in his career. And… according to Liliana and her dad (now a whale watcher) I am now: ‘Bruno, the Whale Whisperer’.

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