Giant Whale Won’t Leave Diver Alone, She Then Realizes He Is Trying to Tell Her Something

Whales are a diverse group of marine mammals that have roamed the ocean for thousands of years. But even though they’re water-based creatures, they are warm blooded animals who nurse their young and breathe air just like humans do.

And although their massive bodies could certainly cripple a sea-faring vessel that crosses their path, whales are slow and peaceful. But one day, marine biologist Nan Hauser feared for her life when a whale took an interest in her and wouldn’t leave her alone.

Then she realized that an even bigger threat was lurking in the water and was targeting her.

Nan Hauser Dedicated Her Life to Whales

Nan Hauser is president and director of The Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation (CCRC), an organization that dedicates itself to studying whale species.

She founded the CCRC almost three decades ago and its affiliated project, Cook Islands Whale Research Project, focuses on humpback whales among other creatures that travel through the equatorial South Pacific. But what type of research do they do?

CCRC’s Whale Research is Extensive

The CCRC’s research project includes a wide array of topics such as identifying the population of each species, studying genetics, analyzing migration and navigation, and observing surface and underwater behavior of these majestic creatures.

And they’re fully equipped to conduct their research using satellite tagging, acoustics, photo ID’ing and infrared technology. But a part of Hauser believes that she has been prepared for this line of work all her life.

She Dreamt of Whales as a Kid

As a kid, Hauser and her family spent a lot of time in Bermuda. She even recalls looking out into the Atlantic Ocean and dreaming about whales. “That is when I think my passion for the ocean and studying whales really began,” she was quoted on her site WhaleResearch.org.

But as she got older, she did more research on whales and discovered that there was a huge reason why these sea creatures are so important to the planet.

Whale Poo is the Ocean’s Salvation

Farmers and gardeners know how beneficial manure is for promoting a healthy crop because it provides nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients that help plants grow. That’s pretty impressive considering that manure is just a fancy word for cow poo.

And it turns out that when whales poop, their excrement infuses the ocean’s surface with nutrients that help the ocean’s ecosystem. This is why Hauser considers herself and her team proud whale guardians. But nothing in her experience could have prepared her for what happened during a dive.