Just Keep Swimming
Towards the end of the summer of 2017, Hauser was swimming with a research vessel off the coast of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Her colleagues made sure to keep a close eye on her by tracking her course with a drone. Armed with an underwater camera, Hauser was able to photograph herself swimming near a small pod of humpback whales.
Source: Facebook / Nan Daeschler Hauser
While she was busy videotaping, a humpback whale began swimming in her direction. This mammal must have weighed at least 25 metric tons and was at least 50 feet in length. Can you imagine? Whales don’t typically swim towards humans, and Hauser knew that this was unusual behavior. She was nervous about what could happen next.