MOBY AND ME
Outside Magazine|June/July 2020
Sperm whales are extraordinarily intelligent animals with deep family traditions and the ability to communicate across oceans with sonic clicks. But when Rowan Jacobsen had a close encounter with one in the Caribbean, he saw a creature far stranger than he’d ever imagined.
Rowan Jacobsen
MOBY AND ME

THREE MILES OFF THE COAST OF DOMINICA, ON A FLAT BLUE CARIBBEAN SEA, PERNELL FRANCIS LOWERS A HYDROPHONE INTO THE WATER AND SLIDES A PAIR OF HEADPHONES OVER HIS EARS. CAPTAIN JERRY KILLS THE ENGINES ON THE SOUTHERN CROSS, HIS SPORTFISHING BOAT, AND THE OTHER TWO PEOPLE ON BOARD, THE MARINE SCIENTIST GAELIN ROSENWAKS AND HER MOTHER, STACY, ET SUPERSTITIOUSLY QUIET.

It’s eight o’clock in the morning on November 21, and we’re listening for the sounds of the world’s brainiest and most charismatic megafauna.

Dominica is one of the best places in the world to interact with sperm whales, and each year the government grants a handful of permits that allow scientists and photographers to get in the water with them. Gaelin’s permit is for Visual Assessment of Potential Stressors on Physeter macrocephalus. Her goal is to produce a photographic record of Dominica’s whales, looking for signs of injury incurred from things like ships and fishing gear. She’s also hoping to make a film about our species’ complicated relationship with sperm whales. Pernell, a local Dominican who’s been called the whale whisperer for his uncanny ability to find them, is our guide.

Sperm whales communicate across miles of ocean using a complex language of sonic clicks. By listening to the hydrophone, Pernell can tell if they are near or far, diving or surfacing, feeding or cruising. He rotates the pole, pointing the device in every direction, face tight with concentration.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June/July 2020-Ausgabe von Outside Magazine.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June/July 2020-Ausgabe von Outside Magazine.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS OUTSIDE MAGAZINEAlle anzeigen
#she hunts
Outside Magazine

#she hunts

A new school of social-media influencers are giving hunting a fresh and decidedly female face. Food writer RACHEL LEVIN joins two rising stars of“Instagram” in the Arizona backcountry to chase mule deer for her first photographs by Jen Judgetime. Can she stomach what it takes to be an omnivore?

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
September/October 2020
Breaking the Waves
Outside Magazine

Breaking the Waves

What has life under lockdown taught the greatest surfer on earth? That switching it up was exactly what he needed.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September/October 2020
Wellness That Endures
Outside Magazine

Wellness That Endures

Strategies and tips to help you get through anything

time-read
10 Minuten  |
September/October 2020
The New Reality
Outside Magazine

The New Reality

AFTER A NEARLY TWO-DECADE HIATUS, ECO-CHALLENGE MAKES A COMEBACK ON AMAZON PRIME AT JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September/October 2020
Out There, Nobody Can Hear You Scream
Outside Magazine

Out There, Nobody Can Hear You Scream

Two years ago, LATRIA GRAHAM wrote about the challenges of being Black in the outdoors, and countless readers asked her for advice. She didn’t write back, because she had no idea what to say. In the aftermath of a revolutionary summer, she responds.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
September/October 2020
Mr.Freeze
Outside Magazine

Mr.Freeze

Wim Hof became famous for submerging himself in frigid water with the calm of a Zen master, and his teachings about breathwork and the health benefits of cold plunges have attracted millions of followers. Our writer traveled to Iceland to chill with the man who made cold extremely hot.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
September/October 2020
Life Is a Highway
Outside Magazine

Life Is a Highway

TOOLS TO HELP YOU SAVOR THE JOURNEY

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September/October 2020
Enter Sandman
Outside Magazine

Enter Sandman

SLUMBER WELL IN CAMP, NO MATTER HOW FAR OFF THE BEATEN PATH YOU PARK

time-read
1 min  |
September/October 2020
All Together Now
Outside Magazine

All Together Now

MARINE BIOLOGIST AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON BECAME A STAR IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT BY DEFTLY COMMUNICATING WHAT FEW PEOPLE UNDERSTAND: THAT CLEANING UP THE PLANET REQUIRES A COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL JUSTICE

time-read
6 Minuten  |
September/October 2020
In It for the Long Haul
Outside Magazine

In It for the Long Haul

GEAR THAT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME

time-read
1 min  |
September/October 2020