Off the coast of the Caribbean island of Dominica, sperm whales are making a big splash.
Swim alongside them and you may find yourself hooked.
Im one of them.
Swimming with a sperm whale and its calf off the coast of Dominica.Credit:Patrick Dykstra/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
There, a population of around 200 sperm whales resides year-round in warm and sheltered waters.
Her name is Annabel, he told me gravely about the instrument.
He was a jazz musician from St. Croix on his way to play Carnival gigs.
Up close to a sperm whale.Patrick Dykstra/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
When I explained about the whales, he looked at me like I was headed to a fire-juggling competition.
Youre adventurous, he said.
Only sometimes, I said, which was easier than explaining the fever.
A small amplifier used to detect whale sounds.Kai Bauer/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
(And, yes, I am angling for the title of Chief Whale Correspondent.)
As I said, no known cure.
My taxi driver switchbacked up into the mountains as darkness fell amid a drenching rain.
Into the blue with a bottlenose dolphin.Patrick Dykstra/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
I looked over the water and imagined the whales, hidden in the depths.
The whale materialized just feet away, filling my field of vision.
Hes been visiting Dominica and its whales for 15 years.
A whale of a tail.Patrick Dykstra/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
No ones out looking for whales every day on the Atlantic side.
Echolocation clicks were crucial to our mission, too.
For five days, we followed the same routine.
A Natural World Safaris boat and a pod of dolphins.Patrick Dykstra/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
someone would shout when a whale surfaced with a cloud of exhalation.
On our first morning, we found a whale quickly.
I pulled on my fins and snorkel, eager and shaky with nerves.
Two whales swimming off the Dominica coast.Patrick Dykstra/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
I swam close to Dykstra, popping my head up occasionally.
My body pounded with suspense.
Dykstra grasped Barretos arms and mine, binding us into a raft.
A sperm whale skimming the surface.Patrick Dykstra/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
Suddenly the murk turned to gray flesh.
The whale materialized just feet away, filling my field of vision.
It was too fast!
Crew members Marcus Hodge (left) and Nigel Seraphin.Kai Bauer/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
Barreto said as we bobbed on the surface afterward, waiting for the boat to pick us up.
It was not enough!
I want to be saturated with these animals.
A Carnival reveler in Dominica.Kai Bauer/Courtesy of Natural World Safaris
Her symptoms were clear.
The fever had struck.
Local DJs and performers moved on top of them, blastingbouyon,a local fusion genre.
Crowds bounce-shuffled behind, dancing and drinking probably-not-water from water bottles.
Dominica gained independence in 1978.
Seraphin told me that during Carnival, people in his village drum on goatskins and crack whips.
Local DJs and performers moved on top of them, blastingbouyon,a local fusion genre.
Crowds bounce-shuffled behind, dancing and drinking probably-not-water from water bottles.
I said I was.
He broke into a big smile.
It is the most beautiful island in the world, he told me, with the most beautiful people!
Dublin especially mourned the loss of the public library in Roseau.
The kids used to go there in the afternoons after school, he said.
Now theyre just on their phones.
The island is hungry for income.
These economic pressures have added complexity to the process of drawing up rules for the sperm whale reserve.
I spoke to one such official, who acknowledged the challenge.
But its not a midnight viewing of theMona Lisa.
Sometimes the boats cooperate, taking turns, but not always.
Whale-watching boats hovered around, and another swimming boat zoomed toward the scene.
The vibes were hectic.
I mean, I get it, Dykstra said.
People need to make money.
The island is struggling.
But you have to think about the long term.
Seraphin and Dykstra both hope the government returns to a one-permit-per-month model for the sperm whale reserve.
Dublin suggested the idea of a week in between sessions when the whales could rest.
He asked what word I might use to describe sperm whales.
I would saybreathtaking, he said.
I see people get out of the water crying.
They want to hug me.
We have to be more mindful of the welfare of the animals and more conservative with them.
Because what you see, I want my grandchildren to see.
Seeking out encounters with wildlife often brings up uncomfortable questions for me.
Is it wrong to even try?
If someone approaches you on a beach, offering a day trip to swim with whales, dont go.
Be prepared to be patient.
Confirm not only that your outfitter has a permit but also that it follows the rules.
This saves the fishermen money and reduces the amount of ocean trash that can entangle whales.
Its a simple thing, but everybody wins.
I barely saw it!
Barreto said more than once after a whale had passed, even at close range.
I knew what she meant.
I felt like it was never possible for me to be present enough.
I had a sense of greedy insatiability every time I saw a whale.
When the nearer of the two was just feet from me, my GoPro decided to freeze.
I jabbed at the buttons in mounting frustration.
But, in the nick of time, I thought,Youre missing it.
Just watch, I told myself.
The whale flexed her enormous body and dove.
The movement was so beautiful, so effortless.
Her tail oscillated with a serene power, and she vanished headfirst into the cobalt depths.
