MOBY AND ME

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

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.