Humpback whale field research diary - Part 1
Our Storyteller in Residence, wildlife photographer, writer, and expedition leader Henley Spiers, is currently in Mexico to research his next SiR story on the whale sanctuary of Baja California Sur. Here, he shares a personal field diary entry he wrote while researching humpback whales.
Below you can read an hour-by-hour field diary entry Henley wrote about his humpback whale tagging mission in the Sea of Cortez off Baja California Sur in Mexico. “The SiR grant funds were instrumental in ensuring this research took place as we were able to facilitate logistics of boats and captains and fuel in a way which their own research budget could not meet,” says Henley.
Day 1:
12:30pm: Land in La Paz, the state capital of Baja California Sur, Mexico. The airport is relatively small and laidback and the sunny blue skies are in stark contrast to the Northern European winter I just left behind. Having passed through immigration, I wait for bags and hope there are no hiccups. Air tags offer reassurance that the bags are in the vicinity.
14:00: Prep gear. Top up battery charges and methodically assemble two underwater camera housings, ensuring the o-rings are clean and lubricated. Cigarette paper is the best thing I have found for cleaning the grooves on a housing – a tip from the Singaporean underwater photographer, William Tan. I don’t really know what to expect from tomorrow when joining the scientific research expedition on humpback whales. Photographically, there may not even be the possibility of jumping in the water (and visibility is at its worst at this time of year). I need to be prepared for many eventualities so as well as the underwater cameras, there will be a topside camera body and a drone.
15:00: Head to hardware store and buy rope so we can secure the boat in the bay we will be operating from.
15:30: First issue, a mechanical fault is discovered on the boat and puts our schedule in jeopardy.
16:30: Receive report that the mechanic should be able to fix the problem in time for tomorrow.
18:30: Drive to meet boat captain an hour away, visit petrol station and fill multiple large containers with fuel to last several days.
21:30: Return to La Paz, collapse into bed with jet lag.
More Despatches: From the Field
Day 2:
4:30am: Wake.
5:30am: Load car and drive to pick-up the rest of the team:
- Dr. Hiram Rosales Nanduca, professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, and founder of the MMAPE research group (Marine Megafauna and Fisheries Research Program). Raised in Mexico City but now resident in Baja peninsula for many decades, Hiram smiles easily and brings a quiet authority to proceedings. He combines unimpeachable scientific knowledge of his subject matter with sharp field skills – a scientist who is also great on the water? Now, that I really like to see. If Hiram has a professional weakness, it is a natural modesty which blocks any form of self-promotion.
- Dr. Esther Jiménez López, professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur. Esther’s soft spoken nature belies an iron-willed determination and passion for cetaceans. At 13 years old, she decided she wanted to be a marine biologist and study whales, since that moment, nothing could push her from this path. Tough and skilled, she makes conducting science on small boats look easy and is a crack shot with a crossbow when retrieving DNA samples.
- Dr. Olaf Meynecke, manager of the whales and climate program, Griffith University. Of German descent but now living in Australia, Olaf is vastly experienced in the tagging of whales and has devoted his life and career to giving cetaceans a voice amongst humans. Within five minutes of knowing each other we have bonded over a mutually destructive cycle of making fun of each other. Mum, I think I made a new friend.
6am: Drive to Cabo Pulmo on the southern-tip on Baja California Sur. Although we have only just met, conversation comes easily as we happily share stories about cetaceans and the ocean.
9am: Arrive in Cabo Pulmo, small village which became world famous for its national park and the incredible resurgence of marine life following strict protection protocols. Unload part of our gear into the room we will be sharing and then continue onwards to a nearby bay.
10:00am: Arrive on the beach, the site of an artisanal fishing camp. Driving towards the coast we could already see the whale spouts at the surface – the humpbacks are definitely here and in numbers! Meet our captains ‘Nini’ and ‘Gigante’. Load the panga with a combination of photographic and scientific material.
10:30am: Our second major issue, we are still on the beach as when assembling the tagging device we realised a vital connecting part was missing. A part from my underwater camera equipment looks like a potential fix, and we create a DIY solution.
12:30: The good news is there are whales and they are not hard to find. The trickier part is that for our requirements we need to find one approachable enough to safely deploy the tag… so far that has proved elusive.
14:30: Find a competitive group of male humpback whales in pursuit of a female. It’s a first for me and totally thrilling. The splashes and sounds they make when engaged in the behaviour are vociferous and raw.
14:50: With the competitive group distracted by the pursuit of a mate, we have our best opportunity to approach them close enough to tag. This requires careful team work between Hiram driving the panga and Olaf up front ready to reach over and deploy the tag. We finally get into position but the tag falls off the whale’s back… our DIY fix isn’t stable enough to get the suction cups to stick onto the whale’s back. No one says it out loud… but we are all gutted.
16:00: We decide to turn back and give ourselves a little more time in the evening to prioritise fixing the tagging device.
17:30: Arrive back on the beach and eat dinner at the fishermen’s camp – the setting is spartan but the food is good.
18:10: Get back to our hut in Cabo Pulmo, charge batteries and transfer photos, review and back-up files. I have few ‘keepers’ from today but a better understanding of what images might be possible going into tomorrow. This assignment is proving to be a new kind of challenge: usually my underwater cameras are the primary ones but here the drone and surface cameras are the key visual tools as I follow the work of the scientists… This is quite new and I wish I had more drone batteries. It’s a strange feeling to spend all day at sea but not jump in.
21:00: Esther reviews photos and notes id of whales, at least six individuals noted so far with many more to go… for scientific ID they need photos of the dorsal fin and the underside of the tail fluke.
For more Despatches, images and more, follow our 2023 Storyteller in Residence’s journey here or over on Instagram.
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