#nan hauser

[ingek73]

Experience: a whale saved me from a shark attack

He swam underneath me and lifted me out of the water on his flipper

Nan Hauser Fri 29 Sep 2023 11.00 CEST

When I was a kid in Pennsylvania, my family rehabilitated wild animals. I grew up with raccoons and a fox running around the house. We would go travelling to Bermuda and I would watch the whales off the shore. I fell in love with them and wanted to know more about what they got up to underwater. Now I’ve been studying whales for more than 30 years and am the president of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation, mostly based in the Cook Islands and Bermuda.

In 2017, I was on a boat around Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, working on a film about whale conservation. The crew wanted to get more footage of me in the water with the humpback whales – I often slip in quietly to record their behaviour for research. Seeing a couple of humpbacks in the distance, I slid off the boat wearing a snorkel mask and a GoPro, and swam towards them.

As I was approaching, one of the male humpbacks came right up to me, nuzzling me with his head and pushing me through the water. It caught me off-guard – in 33 years of doing this work, this had never happened. I put my arm out and tried to push myself away while he attempted to tuck me under his pectoral fin.

My scientist brain was in overdrive as I tried to work out what he was doing. I felt a rush of adrenaline mixed with fear and apprehension. Then the whale swam underneath me and lifted me out of the water on his flipper. I signalled to the boat, then – swoosh – I was pushed back under.

As animals pick up on fear, I tried to keep calm, never taking my eyes off him. Whales are so big that if you’re not paying attention, you could be fatally injured. A tail slap and you’re dead; a whack with any part of their body can rupture your organs; and a nudge in the wrong place could crush you.

After seven and a half minutes of being pushed around by the humpback, I saw what I thought was a second, smaller whale. But then I noticed the tail – whales move theirs up and down, and this one was moving side to side.

I realised with horror that it belonged to a huge, 18ft tiger shark.

Tiger sharks are known to attack people, sometimes fatally. The shark had arched its body, with its pectoral fins pointed downward, which meant that it was in attack mode. I yelled out to the boat but, before I knew it, the whale had positioned me on the front of his head and was gracefully racing through the water. It was terrifying and yet peaceful. Within 10 minutes, he had safely returned me to the boat and out of the shark’s way.

My emotions were high by the time I took off my mask. I felt love, concern and care from the whale. I told him that I loved him and thanked him as he swam off. I gasped in relief and then proceeded to sob, overcome. I felt more motivated than ever to protect these beings. There are many documented encounters of humpback whales displaying behaviour we would consider altruistic and I believe this was another example – I think the whale had seen the shark and was trying to push me away from it.

The video of what happened was shared on social media and since then I have received thousands of emails from awestruck people. Though it was incredible, my encounter was extremely dangerous. I don’t encourage people to get into the water with whales – too often, it’s done to satisfy the human ego and get a selfie. With advances in technology, I now rely more on cameras set up on the side of my boat to study their behaviour, to avoid interfering.

Just over a year later, I was on a boat around the Rarotongan reef when I heard of a whale sighting in the harbour. I headed there and saw the whale who had protected me – I recognised him from the notches in his tail and the scar on his head.

It was the third time in 20 years that I had witnessed a whale return to the Cook Islands. I slid overboard and swam towards him; he approached and looked me in the eye. I rubbed his face and he extended his pectoral fin. I began to cry. I swam back to the boat and he stayed around for about 20 minutes after I got back on it. It was a lovely reunion.

 As told to Elizabeth McCafferty

Ok this made me cry....

[russnightlife]

For those who need it: a full list of every name in Toast of London. Credit here:

Full list of character names from the Toast of London Universe:

Steven Toast

Jane Plough

Ray Purchase

Kenton Schweppes

Ed Hauser Black

Goodhouse

Cliff Promise

Clem Fandango

Kikini Bamalam

Beezuz Fafoon

Susan Random

Jemima Gina

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Royce Coolidge

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Ellen Toast

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Sookie Houseboat

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Kay Tightneck

Iqbal Achieve

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Peanut Whistle

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Sal Commotion

Giuseppe Race

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Ray Sober

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Dwight Difference

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Nina Armenian

Edward Fox

Shepherd Jerbîl

Professor Map

Sonny Sam Disco

Weech Beacon

Liberty Jerbil

Ben Egyptian

Jennifyer Madraass

Snorky

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Phyllis Willis

Carmen

Richard Chickentoss

Hoop Kaaak

Ms Wisehunt

Mrs Greenflash

Bellender Bojangles

Barney

Hayley

Blondie

Gypsy

Old Timer Bill

Wildcat Lil

Doc Brown

Rusty Halloween

Agent Saucepan

Sorry Johnson

Wallace

Kelsey Perfume

Frank Succession

Tycoon Lancaster

Jesus Bond

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Hawk Fahrenheit

Mews Frumpty

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Fancy Alexander

Dinky Critenbers

Pig Shovely

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Royce

[critters-r-me]

[orcinus-veterinarius]

https://youtu.be/OXNCCdcBhcY

TLDW: researcher says a while saved her life by corralling her away from a tiger shark. My question is, how likely do you think it is that the humpback was “protecting” her from the shark vs like... just playing with her. She also claims the whale returned a year later and recognized her. A lot of it (like staying in the water despite the whale displaying what I would consider dangerous behaviors, even tho she was wearing a snorkel and the whale kept trying to keep her beneath its body) but i dunno! Im interested to hear your thoughts.

Oh man, there’s… a lot of unpack in this video.

This lady, Nan Hauser, is indeed a whale biologist with decades of experience. A quick Google search proves that. Which is why it rubs me the wrong way to see her act like this. She should know better than to purposely approach a wild cetacean. While I doubt that the humpback intended to harm her, you can’t even begin to comprehend how powerful an animal that size is. A single thump from their flukes would kill you. She even notes in the video that it hurt her when the whale tried to put his pectoral flipper on top of her. She’s extremely lucky she didn’t sustain any serious injuries.

Was the whale actually “protecting” her from the shark? In my opinion, probably not. First off, it bothers me that she, a marine biologist, would perpetuate the harmful notion that sharks are especially dangerous to humans. She was far, far more likely to sustain serious injury from messing around with that whale than she was from a tiger shark cruising along in the open water minding its own business. In all likelihood, the whale was probably just curious as to what this strange little creature was and was playing around with her. To decide on his intent is serious anthropomorphism.

Did the whale remember her? Who knows. They do have remarkable memories, but even if he did recognize her, I doubt he was excited to see her in the same way that a pet dog or even a cetacean in managed care would be. There’s no relationship between them. While I’m sure it was very exciting for her to see this whale again, it was insanely foolish for her to jump in and, in her own words, “hug” this multi-ton creature.

I can completely understand how tempting it must be to approach whales or dolphins you may encounter while swimming, but for your own safety and theirs it is best to stay back. I know this video is not from the United States, but if you’re in US waters, it’s also very illegal to do so (and if you post a video of yourself petting a wild dolphin on social media I will report you to NOAA. Sorry.) Best to swim with humpbacks in our daydreams only.

[roboe1]

News Feed News. 7/14/2023.

US News, World News, Politics and Commentary. More news on main page, In The News Feed. US News: Marine biologist relives moment humpback whale saved her from shark  A marine biologist has relived the emotional rollercoaster of a 50,000 pound humpback whale saving her from a shark. Nan Hauser, 69, talked through the encounter off Muri Beach, Rarotonga, of the Cook Islands, which left her in…

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

Whales are truly amazing

            Whale scientist Nan Hauser describes how she believes a humpback whale saved her from a shark, and what happened when the same whale came back.

@denise-alwaysuselove :)

[silentwisher-feed]

A whale saved my life | Close Encounters | BBC Earth

A whale saved my life | Close Encounters | BBC Earth #animals

A whale saved my life | Close Encounters | BBC Earth

[map-walter]

😮 devils 👿elbow rec area on Lake Hauser in Helena, MT. So very very cool 😎 weekend of recovery, Mike’s cooking a pig 🐷 for 2morrows pot-luck, I might even have to go to town for s’more fixins. Paddle boarding with Sandy 2morrow afternoon after the women’s meeting, nan oh nan it so does not get better. Oh wait maybe it does, I spoke with the park ranger n I might have my first ever camp host JOB‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️here in MT.

The PIG 🐷 oink oink, dinners gona b soooooooo good‼️👍🏻

[gumnut-logic]

Interactions with Humpback Whales

Photo credit: Wikipedia

From Wikipedia article on Humpback Whales (Yes, I’m researching again and yes, I know Wikipedia needs cross referencing) :D

Interspecies interactions

Humpbacks are a friendly species that interact with other cetaceans such as bottlenose dolphins. Right whales interact with humpbacks.[34] These behaviors have been recorded in all oceans.[35][36] Records of humpback and southern right whales demonstrating what were interpreted to be mating behaviors have been documented off the Mozambique [37] and Brazilian coasts.[38] Humpback whales appear in mixed groups with other species, such as the blue, fin, minke, gray and sperm whales.[39] Interaction with gray, fin,[40] and right whales have been observed.  Teams of researchers observed a male humpback whale singing an unknown type of song and approaching a fin whale at Rarotonga in 2014.[41] One individual was observed playing with a bottlenose dolphin in Hawaiian waters.[42] Incidents of humpback whales protecting other animals such as seals and other whales from killer whales have been documented and filmed. Studies of such incidents indicate that the phenomenon is species-wide and global, with incidents being recorded at various locations across the world.[43] In September 2017 in Rarotonga, the Cook Islands, snorkeler and whale biologist Nan Hauser reported that two adult humpback whales had protected her from a 4.5 m (15 ft) tiger shark, with one whale pushing her away from the shark while the other used its tail to block the shark's advances.[44]

This is pretty amazing...and useful for Kermadec Fic :D

[newsgur]

Una ballena heroína

Impresionantes imágenes muestran el momento en que una ballena jorobada de 50,000 libras empujó a un buceador a través del agua para protegerla de un tiburón cercano. Las fotos de Nan Hauser, de 63 años, muestran cómo la masiva criatura marina empujó al biólogo de ballenas con su cabeza y su boca, luego la metió debajo de su aleta pectoral e incluso la sacó del agua en una ocasión. Sin embargo, al acecho cerca del mamífero y Hauser era un tiburón tigre de 15 pies, así como otra ballena que estaba moviendo su cola para alejar al tiburón. El biólogo de ballenas le dijo al Daily Mirror que ella cree que el momento en septiembre revela el instinto intuitivo de la ballena para proteger a otra especie de animal.

http://es.newsgur.com/2018/01/una-ballena-heroina.html

[awed-frog]

The moment a 25-ton humpback whale pushed a snorkeller to safety from a 15ft tiger shark was captured on camera. Biologist Nan Hauser was swimming off the coast of Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, when the giant creature swam in to prevent a "potentially deadly" attack. Hauser said the encounter may be proof of a whale's intuitive nature to protect other species, including humans. The giant whale tucked the 63-year-old, under his pectoral fin and pushed her along with his head and mouth for around 10 minutes, she said.She later realised that the 15-foot tiger shark was nearby, that the whale was steering her away from. 

“I’ve spent the past 28 years protecting whales, and in the moment, I didn’t even realise that they were protecting me," she added.

Hauser had heard of the altruistic behaviour of humpback whales before - protecting their young, other species of whales, seals, and dolphins - but scientists have never seen humpbacks actually protecting humans. Such actions, however, have been previously witnessed in dolphins. Hauser said: "There is a published scientific paper about humpbacks protecting other species of animals, by Robert Pitman. For instance, they hide seals under their pectoral fins to protect them from killer whales. They truly display altruism - sometimes at the risk of losing their own lives.”

[source]

[brooklynmuseum]

The relationship between an individual and their environment is a concern that is explored by various artists in Radical Women. Depicting the body freely relating to the natural environment, artists like Ana Mendieta, Delfina Bernal, Lygia Pape, and Yeni y Nan explore psychological and intimate experiences of nature, using performance to speak to both the vitality and fragility of the land.

Posted by Rachel Lewis

La relación entre un individuo y su entorno es un tema que exploran varias artistas en Mujeres Radicales. Representando el cuerpo en formas libre, artistas como Ana Mendieta, Delfina Bernal, Lygia Pape, y Yeni y Nan exploran las experiencias psicológicas e íntimas de la naturaleza, usando performance para discutir la vitalidad y fragilidad de la tierra.

Yeni y Nan (Yeni Hackshaw [born 🇻🇪, 1948] and Nan González [born 🇻🇪, 1956]; active 1977–86). [GIF pulled from:] Transfiguración elemento tierra: Yeni (Transfiguration element earth: Yeni), 1983. Twochannel U-matic VHS transferred to digital video, color, sound; 9:58 min., 8:34 min. Courtesy of the artists and Henrique Faria, New York. © Yeni y Nan ⇨ Delfina Bernal (born 🇨🇴,1940) Paisaje de mar en cuerda (Seascape in rope), 1966. Acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist. © Delfina Bernal ⇨ Lygia Pape (born 🇧🇷, 1927-2004). [Still] O Ovo (The Egg). 1967. 8 mm film converted to digital, color, sound, 1 minute, 35 seconds. © Projeto Lygia Pape, courtesy Hauser & Wirth ⇨ Ana Mendieta (born 🇨🇺, lived and worked in 🇺🇸1948-1985). Corazón de Roca con Sangre (Rock Heart with Blood), 1975. Still from super-8mm film transferred to high-definition digital media, color, silent, running time: 3:14 minutes. © The Estate of Ana Mendieta Collection, LLC. Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.

[rjzimmerman]

You got to read this article. A humpback literally saved a diver, by bouncing her around on her fins, to hide her from a tiger shark and nudge her toward her boat. In the distance, another humpback was pounding its fins on the surface, perhaps signaling to the rescuing whale?

Excerpt:

Marine biologist Nan Hauser has been diving with wild whales for the past 28 years — but it wasn’t until recently that she could credit one with saving her life.

Back in October, Hauser was diving off near the Cook Islands, in the South Pacific, with a camera crew who wanted to film her in the water alongside humpback whales. In an unusually persistent manner, one whale swam right up and began nudging her with his mouth and chin, seemingly trying to tuck her underneath his pectoral fin.

“He just wouldn’t stop touching me,” Hauser told The Dodo. “I tried to get away over and over again, but he kept at it. He eventually pushed me up right out of the water on his fin. He kept putting his eye right next to me and I couldn’t figure out what he was trying to tell me. ”The interaction continued for about 10 minutes and, with adrenaline pumping, the worst thoughts began to creep into Hauser’s mind.“I thought the camera crew was going to end up filming my death,” Hauser said. “One whip of a whale’s tail on you, and the pressure would break your bones.”

But as it turns out, the whale wasn’t the one Hauser needed to be afraid of. She soon realized there was a shark nearby — and the whale was doing everything he could to keep her away from it. Another humpback in the distance kept watch, and repeatedly slapped her tail onto the water; the noise can be heard underwater for miles.“I finally took my eye off the whale and saw something swimming very fast with his tail swinging side to side,” Hauser said. “Whales swim with their tails moving up and down … It was at that moment I realized it was a tiger shark — and it was one of the largest sharks I’ve ever seen in my life.”

And then, a few days later, one of the two whales breached, maybe to check up on their human:

[animalclub]

A Whale Saved a Snorkeler From a Shark

A Whale Saved a Snorkeler From a Shark

When marine biologist Nan Hauser felt a 50,000-pound humpback whale nudging her during a dive, she was confused, as that’s not typical behavior for a whale. “I’ve spent 28 years underwater with whales, and have never had a whale so tactile and so insistent on putting me on his head, or belly, or back, or, most of all, trying to tuck me under his huge pectoral fin”, Hauser told the Daily…

[layersandcorners]

This is moving. Deeply moving.

[olufemiejiro]

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER

GENESIS 4:9 The sea is vast and deep. It holds so many secrets for us to be able to fathom completely. Among the many giants of the sea, the whale is one that dominates the world under water. Something as huge as a whale definitely sounds scary. Marine biologist Nan Hauser was on one of her expeditions with her team, when a shark confronted them on their trip. Within seconds, a whale pushed her…