Team
Deep blue mystery I guess. Just to imagine them in the cerulean abyss makes me grin. There they are, communicating across oceans, their minds so mysterious, the world they inhabit almost unfathomable, and their biology so remote from our own, even though we share the same world. I say everyone should get with their own ‘deep blue mystery’!
I first discovered whales and dolphins when…
I was 6 years old and it was a Blue Whale (ok it was a model but life-size) in London’s inspiring gothic pile, the Natural History Museum. I’d never seen anything so breath-taking in my life, and if truth be told I suspect that I’m addicted to reliving that emotion. Revealing really isn’t it.
I’ve been whale watching and it was…
. . . , and still is, my life! I’ve put my twenty years of global tour-leading behind me now, but it was a series of peak life experiences, and here’s to many more.
Now I’m fired up to…
Share the love and save the planet. I’m passionate about the power of the natural world to make us feel good, for us to see ourselves as one species amongst millions of other beguiling species, and that the wild in the world - and in us - won’t disappear if we don’t let it.
My dream destinations / encounters are…
. . . too numerous to mention (though if I never travelled again I can still count myself blessed). An inquisitive Minke Whale off a romantic Scottish isle can still captivate me; a leaping Bottlenose Dolphin can still make me cheer. One day though that Narwhal tusk emerging from a lead in the Arctic ice near Baffin Island will be good!
The best whale/dolphin possession I own is…
Only one?! Ok, already, keep your hair on! Well I’ve got to have ‘Among Whales’ by Roger Payne (inspiring) but I wouldn’t go anywhere without my cool Leica 8x30 binoculars, oh yes and I love my copper Humpback Whale sculpture, and BBC’s ‘Deep Blue’ DVD etc . . .
More about me:
The top 5 things I’ve learnt (so far):
1. ‘From the heart’ is never wrong
2. Passion and laughter can beat prejudice and ignorance
3. People’s appetite for something to believe in is infinite
4. Be nice - it’s like giving the soul of the planet a little caress!
5. Well-being and creativity do nicely in wild places
6. Ignore what people say you’re allowed to do!
Dylan
What inspires me about whales and dolphins is...
whatever inspires everybody else! It sounds like an odd answer to a fairly straightforward question, but the truth is that these amazing animals grab us all in very different ways – and that’s what really floats my boat!
I first discovered whales and dolphins when…
I made a pond out of a plastic bag and an orange box when I was a kid. Not that any whales or dolphins appeared in it, but a whole host of other marine creatures did – pond skaters, whirligig beetles, and dragonfly larvae were the whales and dolphins of my world when I was eight years old and lived nowhere near the sea. I marvelled at how they had arrived and made a life for themselves when all I had provided was a box full of liquid. Nature is amazing – whales and dolphins are the ultimate thrill for anybody who loves gazing at the water!
I’ve been whale watching and it was…
like my favourite spaghetti western: ‘The good, the bad and the ugly’. The good can be incredible! Amazing encounters, responsible boat handling, and inspirational guides supporting local research/conservation projects. The bad involves passengers receiving little information whilst boats infringe on the animals’ space. Finally there is the ugly. A free-for-all that results in a completely uninformed public and animals avoiding boats or, worse still, bearing scars from collisions with hulls and propellers. Planet Whale is here to make the bad and the ugly a thing of the past.
Now I’m fired up to…
host the biggest party for whale and dolphin fans on the planet! Planet Whale is all about bringing people together, having some fun, and seeking some positive outcomes to the challenges faced by ourselves and our flipper-waving friends. I believe there are too many fabulous ideas, imaginative solutions, and amazing discussions going on out there to a limited audience. With Planet Whale you can share them with the world!
My dream destinations / encounters are…
completely unknown! That, for me, is the ultimate joy of whalewatching. Wherever I have been, and whatever I have been intending to see, I have so often been flabbergasted by a totally unexpected and wonderful experience that I could not have dreamt of. Whalewatching is about breathing in that delicious sea air, finding your own space, and opening your mind to any possibility. Do that and the dream encounters will come to you!
The best whale/dolphin possession I own is…
my digital camera. Without it I would not have noticed that a rare Spanish Blue Whale had been scarred by ice from the Arctic, and would have missed the pleasure of measuring a Striped Dolphin’s majestic leap at seven metres (21 feet) high! Photographs and video footage are also one of the best ways in which us jolly whalewatchers can help scientists and conservationists with their serious research, by identifying individuals that are being studied, and even contributing new discoveries about this poorly understood group of mammals.