Whale-watching brings much serenity to those who do it and continues to mystify and enchant people the world over. Some aspects of these mammals’ behavior can be very special, and even humbling. One harrowing moment in the South Pacific proved just how much the scientific community is yet to still discover. When marine biologist and conservationist Nan Hauser encountered a male humpback whale off the Cook Islands, it did something so utterly unexpected and unprecedented that it completely shocked her, and changed all previous knowledge about whale behavior. It really made the scientific world think twice about humpback whales’ behavior.
A Life’s Passion
Nan Hauser (63) is a qualified marine biologist and researcher and had made studying and rescuing whales into her life’s passion. She’s lived in Maine, for the past 28 years and had traveled across the globe in her mission to document them, and to fight for their rights and protection. So, swimming with them just came naturally.
NanHauser.com
But no matter how many times she had been in the deep blue with these gentle beasts, nothing could have prepared her for what happened one day while out on a swim.