A sampling of messages from whales

 

Enjoy reading messages from whales that are glimpses from hundreds of conversations with whales since 1988.

Role of Whales in the World
On Love
Swimming with Humans
Advice for Humans
On Whaling
Fishing Gear Entanglement
What It's Like To Be a Captive Whale
To Find More Messages from the Whales
Guest Articles

 

THE ROLE OF WHALES IN THE WORLD

One of the very first messages I ever received from a whale was from Alfie:
"Please do not put us or anyone on a pedestal. There is no hierarchy of form. We are not better or higher than anyone else. Higher consciousness is not related to species, breed, intelligence, or ego. It’s a result of a soul’s choice to embrace opportunities to grow, regardless of the form (or formlessness) a soul may be experiencing at any time."


"What is the role of whales in the world?” was a question posed by someone in one of our evening groups during the whale swim trips. We were asking many questions of Uncle, a whale we met that week and had quite incredible encounters with. Uncle’s response to this question:

"Our role is essentially the same as yours. Our roles and life purposes are varied-- just like yours. There are whales who come to earth to focus on what they would like to learn next on their spiritual journey simply by being a whale on the earth. Others come to also be spiritual leaders or healers--just like it is with humans. Not every human is a spiritual teacher or leader and neither is every whale. Whales are not, as some people believe, the ‘keepers of wisdom’ any more than any other species. To believe that one species, or any group or teacher, is the holder of wisdom in some way that is superior to the wisdom available in your own heart is an act of relinquishing your own power. Such a belief disengages you from your own soul and its intuitive knowledge of truth. This is your birthright! Do not give it away.

Those of us who are teachers lovingly welcome you to come to us. We cherish this. But we also cherish your own power and the abundance of wisdom that lies within you. We want you to cherish this also. It may be easier to look outside ourselves for wisdom and answers when we are vulnerable and need support--we all need this at times. But to always look outside of ourselves for guidance without going within and learning to trust our own capacity to access truth and guidance keeps us from growing to our full and real potential. It keeps us like a child. As teachers we want to help you grow, not be dependent.

In response to any individual or group who tells you that they have the only source of wisdom available to you, or the highest source of wisdom, or are the only true source of wisdom, or that you must rely on them or follow them to have access to this wisdom, swim away, politely, but swim away."

When I posted this message on my Facebook Sacred Swims page, Elaine Downs, a lovely animal communicator from the UK, asked this: “So is Uncle saying that Whales are not the keepers of the Akashic Record Teresa?” I asked Uncle to respond, which he did:

"Yes, that's correct. There are some souls who have been whales many times who very much enjoy, and are competent and skilled in communicating such 'records' as you call them to who humans who inquire. Many humans are moved by whales, so they perceive that energy, that whale like energy, that is maintained by some of the souls who are involved with this sharing of wisdom. But (and he smiles really big here) there are other souls involved in this who have never been whales, but rather other forms. Humans who are attracted to whales feel the whale energy and so ascribe 'credit' to us. It is really a communal wisdom, with some volunteers willing to share with those who want to access it and learn. Souls who are and have been whales, as a group, are no better at this than any other souls. I very much like that you asked about this!”

Another person, Les Leff, responded to Uncle’s messages with: “Go Uncle!! We are all One!!!!” I’m with Les. :)


More from Uncle at a different time:
“We are all soul peers. All whales are not highly evolved beings with lofty abilities to heal the planet or us in miraculous ways. Like you, some of us are more evolved than others. Like you, some of us have expansive purposes and are involved in the healing of individuals and the planet, some of us are leaders and some of us lead more quiet lives with purposes centered around our own private life lessons. We are not perfect beings to be worshipped or placed on a pedestal, but rather your soul peers.”

 


ON LOVE

The Balance of Love (from the Lemurian whale group)
An initiation of life on earth is to learn to alchemize love we receive from others into self love, taking it into our hearts and letting it fill us, keeping it as the gift love is meant to be. Rather than waiting and waiting for more love from the outside, living in fear that the outside source may go away, we can fill ourselves with all the love we have ever received from others and make it our own. That is the balance: loving and being loved so deeply by others, and loving ourselves. It is the balance that should exist in families and when it does not the family is not in balance, the individuals in that family are not in balance. This is the balance every individual must learn.


Procreation of love (Message from a private reading for a participant on a whale swim trip)
None of your close encounters with whales are by accident. They are intentional rituals of individual souls coming together to procreate more love. We come together to procreate more love on earth and beyond. That is why after being together some of you laugh with such joy, why some of you cry in such depth knowing your are changed. Do not think it is as simple as enjoyment or even a peak experience. One being can feel love and send love to another which is important for the health of each soul and for the light of the universe.

However, when two or more beings come together and share such depths of love, back and forth, unselfishly, that is procreation of love. Not just sharing what is already in one’s heart--more love is made. It is new love, additional love, love that helps heal the world.

When a new physical form is procreated biologically, that is a miraculous and blessed event. We all celebrate the birth of physical life. Yet even that pales next to the procreation of love. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Nothing is more sacred than expressing it, sharing it, and creating more of it. Many of us come to be with you to do just that: PROCREATE MORE LOVE.

 


SWIMMING WITH HUMANS

What whales have to say about people who swim with them:
This was from a female whale who came through when I reached out one year to all the whales in Silver Bank to let them know we were there, and that we would love to spend time with them:

“We know you’re here. We’re getting ready for the intensity. We’re so pleased you are here. There will be lots of interactions throughout the week. By that time we will have formed a circle together, in spirit, in the sky (she showed an image of us all being connected above the earth, even as we lived on the earth). A circle of humans and whales, together beyond all differences, together in love. We will all who interact this week be changed, transformed in ways we need to be. In the way that only love can make happen. And for every one of us--whale and human--one thousand more of our species will be touched also when we go back to our own kind. We do not need to preach anything. We will just be different and this will change others in our paths. The consciousness of each of us will change, and this in turn will effect everyone in our lives. We will have an unbreakable circle of love.”

From many conversations with whales I have learned that not all whales want to communicate or swim with humans--but those who do choose it and desire it. Not all whales believe it’s a good idea to have physical contact with humans. Those who do can sometimes be considered outcasts and weird for doing so. Just like with humans.

The whale quoted above told us that her coming to us took great courage, and that she is very fulfilled after doing so. She came, both telepathically and physically, to visit with a human with whom she is closely bonded from many lives. In one of their human lives together they were terribly persecuted for being “different.” She said it took her a long time to be ready to ever again risk being shunned for doing something not accepted by everyone, but that this very reunion with her human loved one gave her the courage to take more risks in her current life. She said that by coming to see her loved one, she overcame an old, old fear of being outcast and harmed for being different and now has the great joy of reunion. She said,

“Not all the whales here are interested in human interaction. But each of us who come to be with you come with definite intention and purpose to do so. There are also angels here in this special place (Silver Bank). The whales, the fish, the turtles, the coral and the water-- all living things come together in great harmony in this place. It is a place of accelerated learning, healing and being. It has been a place of protection, of sanctuary, for many years.”

She showed images of nature spirits in a circle of protection around the area, and described that these local nature spirits and global devas and guides of the whales create a circle above the waters keeping it sacred and safe for all.

In different conversations, mother whales have told me dozens of times, very clearly, that they check us out before any close encounters. Each whale wants and is ready for varying levels of intimacy, proximity and duration of interaction. They’ve made it clear that proximity and length of encounters depends on both the “readiness” of the whales, as well as the degree to which they perceive gentle, loving energy from the humans. When both exist, encounters tend to be longer and closer

Sometimes mothers will do “swim bys” with their calves--quick encounters to allow them to check us out for safety and compatibility but not for too long. Sometimes this repeats over and over until they are comfortable with us, and then a longer encounter begins.

In conversations with many other whales, female and male, it’s been made clear that there is energy perceived from humans that attracts or pushes the whales away. They acutely feel the difference between humans who come with:

Loving, respectful energy, wanting to give and receive love, and respect for physical boundaries, not coming too close, but allowing the whales to choose the proximity and those who are primarily interested in ego driven adventure, who view whales with intellectual curiosity void of emotional or spiritual connection, or aggressive, self centered energy desiring to be near them just for the thrill of it or just to get photographs.

It’s very clear that they are able to keenly discern energy differences and in reading our motivations to be with and near them.

 


ADVICE FOR HUMANS

"What are three things the whales would like us to know and share with other people?" was a questions posed by a participant in one of the Wisdom From the Whales webinars. The Lemurian whale group responded:

  1. Love all species, not just some specie
  2. Trust your own wisdom. All the wisdom you need is inside you--teachers only help you remember it and connect to it. Dependence does not nurture growth.
  3. Treat all species as well as most of you treat your cats and dogs and the earth will heal.

 


ON WHALING

What whales have said about whaling:
When I asked the first whale I ever met, Alfie, how he and others could stomach the presence of humans, and why he chose to come so close to a whale watch boat and stay for so long--since boats and people represent the very combination of what brought (and still brings) a horrible death to whales, he said, “Many whales have returned to earth to stop the cycle of hate, to continue to bring love to the earth. We know that many humans find us charismatic and beautiful. We find that when we are close to humans many of them they like us, begin to love us, and open their hearts to all the whales. It is only love that will heal violence. We come for the love, to give it, receive it and to create more.”

The question of whaling came up again in one of my webinars. A participant asked the following questions, and a group of whale who call themselves the Lemurian whales answered:

“What is their perception of those who kill whales?”
"It is different with every whale, just as every human has a different view of your wars. But it is fair to say that in general whales see such humans as stuck in the harmful belief that there is a hierarchy of value amongst species, and that animals do not feel pain or fear, and are simply resources to be exploited at any cost, not fellow beings with souls."

“How do the whales discern the nature of these people (whalers) as a group?”

"Those who kill, who are bloodthirsty, who slaughter without regard for the life and soul of the ones they brutally harm, without any connection to the spirit that is the same in all of us, we see as primitive in consciousness. It is difficult to forgive them. Please try to forgive them. Love them. And stop them. You can do this at the same time. Please don’t choose one or the other. We need your help. And as you are repelled by their behavior, when you find it brutal and unacceptable, reflect on your own cultures’ violent actions against and treatment of fish, cows, pigs, chickens, deer, wolves, rodents, rabbits, buffalo and more. . .Please, consider treating all species with love and respect, not just some. Not just us. We believe you are capable of this, of waking up, and there can be peace again for all on the earth."

 


FISHING GEAR ENTANGLEMENT

What one whale said about being disentangled from fishing gear:
These are comments from the whale who was disentangled from crab trap lines off the Farallon Islands, near San Francisco, CA in 2005. The story, from the perspective of the rescue divers, appeared in a San Francisco Chronicle article and has been passed around in emails many times.

When I asked to be connected to this whale, at first she was shy. But when she knew I wanted to ask her about this incident, she opened up:

"I was terrified for weeks with those things wrapped around me. We are all scared of them. We can’t help each other get out of them. Many have died from this. It is a horror. When the people came on the boat I knew right away they were going to help me. They are so small but so intelligent with tiny hands that can do so much. I do not fully understand how they got the foreign string off of me, but they did and I was saved! I can’t describe the relief and gratitude I felt and still feel. Rather than a slow death I had my full life back! I wanted to hold them (she indicated the humans) and play with them, swim with them-- so little but so smart and kind. I will forever be grateful. I wish I could have taken them to meet other whales so we could all thank them."

Comments from James Moskito, one of their rescue divers, quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle, December 14, 2005:

"The whale floated passively in the water the whole time, giving off a strange kind of vibration. When I was cutting the line going through the mouth, his eye was there winking at me, watching, me. It was an epic moment of my life. When the whale realized it was free it began swimming around in circles. It swam to each diver, nuzzled him then swam to the next one. It seemed kind of affectionate, like a dog that’s happy to see you. I never felt threatened. It was an amazing, unbelievable experience. It felt to me like it was thanking us, knowing that is was free and that we had helped it. I don’t know for sure what it was thinking, but it’s something that I will always remember. It was just too cool."


What another whale, Little One, said about being entangled and dying:
Little One was a month old humpback calf we encountered in Silver Bank in March, 2009. He and I have had many, many conversations, but the following comments are from a talk we had over a year after this death when I asked him what is was like for him to be entangled:

 

"It was very scary. It all happened so quickly, I was playing with ropes on the floor of the ocean and suddenly they were all wrapped around me and I could not shake them offer. The ropes didn’t bother me right away, but soon they became tightened around me. A I struggled to get out of them they got tighter, and one was through my mouth. I couldn’t swim very far. At the end of the ropes there were large heavy things that made it very hard to swim at all. When I tried I got tired. My mother was crazy with worry, sometimes hysterical. I couldn’t get mile from her anymore and I was hungry. She told me she couldn’t swim right next to me or touch me anymore because the ropes might go around her too.

 

Her close friend who was with us said she know that sometimes people helped get these ropes off of whales. After a couple of weeks we heard the boats with people and carefully we went close to them. I felt the people’s concern and love. Then one came in the water with me. I knew he was trying to get the ropes off, but my mother was totally afraid of humans and mad at humans and tied to scare him away. I was afraid she would kill him and we’d never get help. Then another human came in the water. He came in over and over and he got rid of the heavy things at the end of the ropes. I was so relieved. There was so much less pressure. But the ropes that were cutting into me still hurt and I couldn’t breath well. It was all a blur, that day. The man kept coming in and trying so hard to get rid of the ropes. I wanted him too but my mother did not quite trust him and it made it hard for him to stay near me. I thought for sure she might kill him with her tail and I begged her to let him help me. It was so hard for her to trust him. She told me terrible stories about humans.

I felt a lot of people on the boat loving us, sending me such pure love and help. It helped me stay calm. It made my mother a little but less crazed but she was almost beyond being helped. I became exhausted from it all. Then at one point I knew the man would not be coming bak in the water. It was becoming night time. We knew they would be leaving. We thanked the people and swam away. I felt so much better without the heavy things dragging behind me, but I knew my body was very weak and that I would not survive. My mother could not accept this. I tried to tall her we should go back the next days to the boats for help. She said she couldn’t trust them again, even though she knew some of them meant well. So it was just the three of us then, my mother, me and her friend who loved me like a mother too. She was the calm one through all of this, even when she knew I was going to die. She was very strong for my mother and for me. I wanted to be calm about dying, but the pain in my body got worse and the calm in my heart was not felt often. I was very, very scared. The pain got worse and I did not know how long it would last. I couldn’t breath. I wanted my mother’s touch and she couldn’t give that to me. I needed to stay at the surface all the time. I could not breath easily at all. My other was crying out from her heart almost all of the time. I don’t think she would have ever made it through this without her friend. I felt so much pain those last few days I kept wishing and wishing to die from my body to stop the agony. And my mother’s emotional pain was made it feel like we were in a hell that wouldn’t stop or be relieved. I felt tortured and just wanted to die.

Then, finally, one morning at the first light I saw the other whales coming. Spirit whales. I was completely calm then. They lifted me and I was free, peaceful, and whole again in just moments. But my whale mother was violently grief stricken. For days she stayed by my body moaning, until finally her friend convinced her to leave. I was freed in a moment from my pain. Hers lasted for over a year, and it will always be a part of her.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Approximately 2,000 whales are entangled in fishing gear each year. It is estimated that only 3% of them are disentangled. The remainder suffer, and many of them for far longer than Little One.

Learn more about whale entanglement and the pioneering disentanglement efforts of the Center for Coastal Studies.

 

  • If you would like to help stop the root cause of whale entanglement--don’t support commercial fishing. Eat lentils, soy, beans and other sources for protein, not fish. Better for your body, easier on the budget, and most definitely better for the whales and for the fish.

 


WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A CAPTIVE WHALE

Conversations with Keiko the Killer Whale
In 2001 I was hired, along with two other animal communicators, to talk with Keiko, the whale who was used as the star in the well know movie Free Willy. Keiko became known and loved by people around the world as a result of this movie. The person hiring us wanted to know whether Keiko wanted to live back in the wild or to stay in what was then his aquarium home on the Oregon coast. I was very honored to be asked to speak with him, yet knew I had to prepare myself to be very clear of my own values and filters when I did. Why? Because all of my life I have been opposed to animals being held in captivity. As a child I was often taken to Hershey Amusement Park in Hershey Pennsylvania. I was never terribly interested in the rides. I just wanted to go visit and talk with the sea lion. During that time there was one lone sea lion, living in murky, dark water. He was lonely and depressed and hated his life. I could hear him and I could feel his despair. All I could do was love him and feel his pain. I would cry and cry afterwards and my parents would mock me. I was too young to process it all, to protect myself from all the sadness I took in from him, and too young to stand up as an activist. But I wasn’t too young to understand the truth: wild animals living in human made prisons were miserable. Over the years, in many other places I would see and talk with captive dolphins. As I grew, there were no parents around to belittle me. I could talk with them without scorn or disapproval, and I learned about taking a stand as an activist. Up to this point I had never talked with a marine mammal in captivity who wanted to be there. Still, at the time I was asked to speak with Keiko, I knew as a professional animal communicator how critical it is to make no assumptions, ever, and to clear myself of any preconceived ideas--most especially if they were strong as mine clearly are.

Because of all of this, I took over an hour before the scheduled consultation to become grounded, still, guided, and cleared of my personal values in preparation to talk with Keiko. It’s a good thing I did. His experience of captivity was different from everything else I’ve ever heard. In talking with dozens of dolphins and whales in captivity, he was the only one who perceived anything positive at all about his experience of being a captive whale.

So What Did Keiko Have to Say?

When we connected he was just delighted to talk. When I asked how he was feeling physically he immediately showed loving the ocean air and the feel of the sea water on his skin, thoroughly enjoying the physical sensation of being in ocean water (his tank held sea water). His energy was very puppy like, playful, yet humble. He said he was aware of the whole process going on--people trying to get him "free." He knows about how film changed people, doesn’t feel he did it but that the message changed people.

He talked about feeling the love of people from around the world coming to him. Before the movie and all he learned from listening to people talk about him, it never occurred to him to live in the ocean again. He did not think it was possible. He showed that he absolutely loves contact with people and making the children joyful who see him. It makes him extremely happy to see humans open their hearts in his presence. He said, "If I live completely in the ocean without people then I would not have a purpose. I don’t want to go back to the ocean to stay."

How do you feel about your caregivers?
"I love them! They want the best for me. They worry about me. I wish I could help them more. I know they aren’t rejecting me by trying to make me go into the ocean, but I don’t want to leave them.” (energy very tolerant, grateful, patient) “I want to be touched; I miss being touched. I don’t understand why they don’t touch me.” He showed that when they are with him as a group, they are very “kind but mental, but when just one is there they are soft and tell me they love me. They open their hearts to my love and I am happy to see that I make them happy."

How do you feel about the people around the world who love you?
"This is my whole reason for being--the joy I see when the children and others when they see me. But most of them do not know how to reach me like this (telepathically) so I must be with them in person."

"I miss the children. They talk to me this way. They don’t forget. I want you to know that though I don’t know what’s ahead of me that if I die today I would die very happy. Not many beings have had such joy, awe and love with another species I very much appreciate what has been done for me and all my life experiences. Remember that no matter what happens, my life has been more fulfilling than I ever knew it could be."

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you like to live? Describe what your life would look like if you could do whatever you want:
"It doesn’t matter, the place on earth. I just want to have people every day to bring joy to. I love the sea water and do not want a small tank again, but I would rather have that if I get to have people to make happy again. I have no purpose without that." (showed images of very much enjoying the Oregon tank/pen and preferring it to his very small Mexico City tank)

How do you feel about swimming off and living in the ocean vs staying close with the people who’ve taken care of you?
"When I was with the wild whales, they thought I was strange and odd. I did not fit in. They did not hurt me (physically), but they rejected me in their hearts. I tried so hard to make it work. I knew the people helping me wanted me to be happy with other whales. But I was not. Even though I was willing to try, they didn’t like me or want me. Some mocked me. I don’t belong there with them anymore. That’s why I swam back to shore where I knew there would be people. I belong with people. My purpose is to be with people."

He made it very clear that he wants to stay by people not because he is afraid to live with other whales in the ocean, but because it is his choice, the deepest desire of his heart.

Do you know anything about the low frequency active sonar sounds in the ocean?
"Whales all around the world talk to each other you know. Even me. The whales know about this. Whales here where I am have not been harmed. But whales in other oceans in other parts of oceans have been harmed beyond healing. It is horrible for them and most would rather die than live with what is does. The story is that when this sound occurs, its like going crazy. (He pictured stories of deafness, acute mental and physical disorientation, physical pain, and inability to communicate clearly.) It brings terror to everyone in the ocean, not just the whales."

Another talk in 2002--when he was in Norway
"I am sad, getting tired and depressed. They feed me which I like, but they keep moving me far from where there are any people. I wish they understood that it is people I need, not being wild in the ocean. I try to remember that all things happen for a purpose. I try to stay strong." (energy felt more depressed than his words)

After his death:
"I am free now, truly free! And I go to every single person who cries about me. I fill them, fill them, fill them with love and thank them for opening their hearts to me. And I am not angry at those who didn’t understand how to listen to me and keep me with people. I love them. Some of their hearts are broken. I go to them the most. Tell people, (hesitates), tell them to always, always let their hearts be opened by whoever or whatever is around them. And to always listen to those they love. They should listen to what is important to those they love. I am so honored to have been in the role I had to help open hearts."

To read more messages from Keiko, read Keiko Speaks by Bonnie Norton.


Excerpts from a Conversation with Tilikum, the killer whale in Sea World, Orlando, a few days after he killed a trainer in 2010
"I hate it here. I’ve always hated it here. Some of the others (he refers to the other whales) give in to survive emotionally, and pretend to themselves that it’s not horrible. I cannot pretend. My best moments are at night without the stupid screaming and clapping people, and without the ones who control us. I hate them. They are the worst. They think they are kind to us. But really, they think little of us because they think they are better than us, smarter than us, that they have a right to keep us here and to treat us as if we are no more than big dumb but beautiful animals they can control. Control? We can’t leave!! We do the ridiculous tricks and games only out of boredom and to eat. It’s how we get to eat. But the humiliation is constant.

The last one I killed, she sometimes would see glimpses of me inside. I tired and tried and tried to get her to really see who I am. Sometimes I thought she saw me. It gave me hope. I thought maybe we could have a relationship. Then the glimpses went away. She didn’t see me and stopped trying. She continued to treat me with that vile condescension they all did. I was so sure that if I killed her they would kill me too and this would be over. When you told me they would not be killing me, because they wanted me around to help make more whales I couldn’t believe it. I felt worse than before. I want to leave here however I can. Death would be so welcome. I hope everyone everyone everyone who claps and laughs at us will someday be slaves too so they know it is not funny. It is hell. Thank you for talking with me. I didn’t think there were humans who knew who we are."

DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU CAN HELP WHALES IN CAPTIVITY?

  1. Don’t patronize aquariums, hotels or any facilities that keep dolphins or whales in captivity. When we do, we are literally funding the capture, imprisonment and misery of cetaceans. If you want to swim with dolphins or whales, there are many trips that facilitate this experience ethically, in the wild.
  2. Support the hard working groups who mobilize political action to free cetaceans from captivity and to prevent future captivity. You can send donations to help them with their work, and or sign up for and respond to their action alerts by sending the occasional email or making the occasional phone call to support the freedom of dolphins and whales. Here is a list of organizations.
  3. Adopt a whale or dolphin in your heart. Send the dolphins and whales in captivity your love, your understanding, your prayers and healing energy. Look through the list of whales in captivity, print out the photo of one who speaks to your heart. Place it somewhere where you will see it everyday. Every time you look at the photo, send this whale your love, your empathy, and send the energy of calmness and peace. You may also want to consider doing this for the entire population of captive dolphins and whales.

 


TO FIND MORE MESSAGES FROM WHALES

 


GUEST ARTICLES

“Listen to my voice” Speaking to stranded whales in NZ
by Michelle Bishop, a volunteer with Project Jonah in New Zealand.  September 19,  2010

(A big thank you to both Michelle and Project Jonah for their permission to post this article and the photographs. You can learn more about their important work at www.projectjonah.org.nz/)


As we reached the top of the dunes we were hit by the grisly sight of piles of dead whales.  The live whales were still on the beach with a few hardy volunteers.  The DOC coordinator explained that they had lost one whale since they were found and the objective for the night would be to keep the remaining fourteen alive.  I was given one of the two large males and we began digging holes for his fins, supporting him with sand bags and pouring water over him. All the while trying to keep him calm.

Unfortunately the rain soon eased, so ferrying buckets of water to each whale to prevent them from overheating and drying out in the wind was the major challenge for the night.  I was glad that I had remembered my Project Jonah training, especially the advice about what to bring to a stranding.  While others were getting cold, wet and hungry, I was wrapped up in my dry suit and thermals and had a flask of hot coffee and chocolate to keep me going.

There were only one or two volunteers for each whale so people were bringing each other water as required.  Each whale had a glow stick at its head to indicate that it needed attention.  By the middle of the night I'd named my whale “Guinness”.  I told him about my children, my love of diving and the stress of quitting smoking.  We discussed the possible lowering of the driving age, the All Whites’ performance in the World Cup and whether track pants ever make a positive fashion statement.  He gazed at me, occasionally making a slight popping sound and appearing to understand every word I said.

DOC moved from person to person asking for reports on each whales breathing, temperature and general condition.  Occasionally they would try and co-ordinate an adjustment to the whale’s position, but we didn’t have enough people to undertake major moves.  We were offered coffee and milo to keep us warm  and told to take breaks if we were tired.  By about 4am the beach had an eerie calm about it.  The only light was the fourteen glow sticks and the occasional torch light.  We were all whispering to try and keep the whales calm, and they had all been named by their care givers. 

As the sun came up we were told the plan of attack. The surf was still too rough to risk re-floating the whales from Karikari beach so they would be moved over the peninsula for release at Maitai Bay, which would be much calmer.  Guinness already had a sling underneath him so he would be the first to go.  I would be travelling on the truck with him to keep him calm and once back in the water I was to stay with him as long as possible, keeping him in the shallows until everyone else was ready to be released.

There were some delays in getting diggers set up at the other beach, so it was mid-morning before the the move could begin.  As the sun got warmer it became even harder to keep Guinness cool.  He was also showing signs of sunburn on his tail and dorsal fin.  Fortunately other volunteers began to arrive and I soon had a core of three other people helping me.  They were fetching water and pouring it over him, leaving me free to talk to him and keep him calm.  By this stage we had started to connect and he was responding to my voice.

Finally the digger arrived to lift Guinness and place him on the flatbed truck.  He had already been moved onto a mat so it was a quick job to clip this on to the lifting frame.  Unfortunately he was too big for the mat.  His tail started to slip and he panicked; his tail thrashed and his breathing turned into a frantic sounding series of gasps.  He was quickly lowered back on to the sand where I tried to calm him down.

The lifting crew moved on the next whale.  They would return and move Guinness once the other smaller whales had been moved.  I was asked to keep talking to him.  We don’t know how much they understand, but they respond to familiar voices and touch.  This gave me the confidence to stay calm and get Guinness through the day.

The next few hours passed even more slowly than the night.  People came over to watch and help but Guinness seemed to get more agitated with lots of people around. Two teenage boys came over and offered to get me a coffee, which was very welcome.  Someone fed me a banana for lunch and left me with a water bottle.

As the digger approached Guinness again, he became stressed, presumably remembering the failed attempt to lift him earlier in the day.   We were told that if he panicked we would need to abort.  No one was suggesting that he would have to be euthanized, but they didn’t have to.  I knew the stakes.

I explained to Guinness what was going to happen, and told him that all he had to do was focus on me. “Listen to the sound of my voice” became a chant.  The digger moved closer and his breathing got quicker.  I raised my voice and continued talking to him, resting my hand on his shoulder for as long as I could while the lifting crew hooked him up and suspended a sling to support his tail.  He twitched his tail and moved his head slightly in the sling.  Everyone froze, waiting for him to panic.  I moved forward and put my hand on his shoulder again, repeating the chant “Listen to the sound of my voice”.  He stopped moving and looked up at me.  The crew continued to swing him on to the back of the truck, lowering him onto a bed of hay.  I scrambled up onto the truck, still chanting “Listen to the sound of my voice”.  Ned and two other volunteers climbed up beside me, with buckets of water.  I crouched next to Guinness, gazing into his eyes as I continued to chant and the truck slowly moved off.

How he found the strength to make the journey I’ll never know.  I didn’t stop chanting until the lifting crew sprung into action at the other end.  I told him that this was it, his final lift, and that soon he’d be back in the water.  He’d done it and I was so proud of him.

He continued to gaze at me as the crew swung him round and lowered him into the water.  At first he held his breath. For nearly a minute his blowhole was underwater.  Then he raised his own head and blew a triumphant breath, showering all of us with his spray.  From that point on his breathing continued to slow down.  At first he seemed a little unbalanced and we rocked him gently in the water to restore his equilibrium. He leant lopsidedly against us, but within a few minutes was holding his own position and moving forward to swim.

Most of the support crew stepped away, leaving two of us guiding, rather than supporting him.  We had been warned that we might have to hold him for several hours in the water since he had been out of the water for so long.  Within fifteen minutes though he was swimming strongly, checking in on his mates.   A couple of times he turned back to me and head butted me in what seemed like a playful gesture.

As with most strandings, one whale was placed in a pontoon and taken out to deeper water. We were asked to move our whales together and prepare to release them.  I knelt down next to Guinness and explained that this was goodbye, that I would always love him and if he ever saw me in the water again he should say hello.  I gave him one last gentle stroke and released him with the other whales.

There was suddenly an outburst of noise from the beach as everyone tried to herd the whales out.  Cars tooted their horns and everyone in the water was shouting and splashing.  Amid the chaos I watched Guinness swim away.

In the space of a few minutes I suddenly felt tired, hungry and emotional.  Back on the beach someone was offering hot drinks to the volunteers, which was welcome, but everything became a bit of a blur.  I got out of my dry suit and struggled into the car. On the beach I had promised Guinness that I wouldn't smoke again if he made it, but home was now calling me and I couldn't wait for a celebratory drink.


About the author Michelle Bishop is a volunteer with Project Jonah a registered charity based in New Zealand that helps marine mammals, pioneering whale rescue techniques, and sharing this technology and expertise with the rest of the world. 
“Our vision is to create a world where these animals are respected and protected. Our strength comes from our volunteers; everyday Kiwis that give up their time to help marine mammals through our rescue, action and protection programs. Whether they’re picking up litter on beaches or getting hands on in rescuing stranded whales, they’re out there helping. Whatever the weather. At the heart of Project Jonah is a passionate belief that caring about marine mammals is simply the right thing to do. We care about the welfare of these animals; their suffering and their needs. And though we make decisions using our heads, we do what we do because our hearts are connected with this absolutely vital work.

We believe that both animals and people matter. Whilst the animals are central to what we do, it’s people that make our work possible. We believe in working together with others to achieve the best results. New Zealand can lead the world in marine mammal welfare and protection. Your help puts us closer to that goal.”

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