Sperm Whale Encounter...with the Mini-Time Machine...on the way to Denali?! B^o
20 Mar, 09 - 10:08
Phill Michael towering over the mini-Time Machine in Nepal in February
2009 (bottom) Minga(L), Ra(R)j, Phill(RF) and friend(LF) enjoy Dahl
Bhat
Correct!!!! There aren't any whales in Nepal...though some of these folks might feel like harpooning me when they see me in the streets of Thamel?! =^]
"Hey look...there's the Buddha on a mini-Time Machine!", they chortle. There are worse names to be called. =^]
I'm usually on my way out of the city...or heading for some tasty traditional Nepali food. No utensils required.
Raj and Mingma have been introducing me to some good places...indeed. =^P
When Chris mirrors this dispatch in the Secret Spot Seven Summits blog, there will be a video of cruising into 'Da Hood' i.e. Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal. Click below to watch the video!
Crusin' into Thamel on the mini-Time Machine!
Let's go to the other side of the World and see what has been happening in the Sea of Cortez?!
Michael just returned from there...after cavorting with the cetaceans for two weeks. Here's a brief description of his recent Sperm Whale Encounter:
--------------------
The largest brain that the earth has ever seen belongs to the
animal species that can also hold its breath the longest and is
considered to be the largest predator on earth. The sperm whale is
that species and the spermaceti oil that resides in the sperm whales
block shaped head was prized in
the early days of whaling and quite literally fueled the industrial
age. Sperm whales often exhibited acts of revenge when there was
blood in the water in the days of whaling. They were known to at
times smash ships to pieces as the whales family members were being
harpooned in the deep seas.
(top) 'Sperm Whales Ahoy!' during Michael's Sea of Cortez cavorting in
late winter 2009! (bottom) The Beluga Whales of Hudson's Bay, Canada
In great contrast to all of that we encountered approximately 70
sperm whales on March the 3rd. There were big bull males, females,
juvenilles and calves all present, and some of the behaviors we
witnessed were remarkable. We saw groups of 7-10 whales literally
rolling over each others bodies, we saw calves swimming under their
mothers, we had curious whales that swam up to our boat and took
endless minutes stopping and starting as they checked out each side
and the rear. We had breaching and individuals clearly looking at us
and what really made the whole encounter much more special was the
state of the sea. It was about as flat calm as deep waters can get.
Most of the time the only distortion we got when observing the sperm
whales close up was that which was created by the movements of the
whales themselves.
I was greatly impressed by the curiosity and gentleness of the
whales and also by the power of them. To see them interact with one
another in groups was a real privilege. Most of the time our engine
was off and we just sat and stared in awe at the groups from a
distance. Usually some or all of them decided to swim over to us and
either interact with each other near to us or to interact with us. I
wondered if the calm sea state gave them an opportunity to see us as
clearly as we saw them and whether they were not truly eager to take
advantage of this opportunity.
Michael Fishbach
Naturalist
SecretSpot.NET
PhillMichael.com
--------------------
I've experienced Sperm Whales beneath Pura Vida(my Baja dive boat) in the years past...and I can assure you that Michael must have been on a massive natural high! Interactions with the Friendlies is always a joy. Michael knows how to find them...so I'd suggest you join us some time...and get 'up-close-and-personal' with the biggest mammals on the Earth.
I'm not sure exactly when I can get back to the my beloved Baja...but my heart is always with her. All in good time. =^)
I am planning on visiting with a few Beluga Whales in early August of 2009 though...
Dawa, Chris and I have a Denali Traverse to start tackling in about two months...so I had better focus on that! B^)
We'll be doing daily dispatches from just below the Arctic Circle...while traversing the highest peak in North America.
You can virtually climb with us by subscribing to the Secret Spot Seven Summits blog (PhillMichael.com).
You can also track our progress via a map at www.secretspotalaska.com!
Racing Towards the 2009 Denali Freestyle Expedition
One or two of our blog subscribers might also be lucky enough to interact with us via live satellite video conferencing while we are on the mountain. All they will need is Skype...and we can record the session for SecretSpot.TV. That could be YOU! B^)
Our past Full Moon was in Virgo. That heralded the birth of the SherpaSchool.ORG ! More about both of those subjects in the next dispatch...
Until Soon
Phill =^)
PHILL MICHAEL | Expedition Leader and Summit Climber
Everest Freestyle Expedition/Secret Spot Seven Summits
SecretSpot.NET
PhillMichael.COM
SherpaSchool.ORG
Correct!!!! There aren't any whales in Nepal...though some of these folks might feel like harpooning me when they see me in the streets of Thamel?! =^]
"Hey look...there's the Buddha on a mini-Time Machine!", they chortle. There are worse names to be called. =^]
I'm usually on my way out of the city...or heading for some tasty traditional Nepali food. No utensils required.
Raj and Mingma have been introducing me to some good places...indeed. =^P
When Chris mirrors this dispatch in the Secret Spot Seven Summits blog, there will be a video of cruising into 'Da Hood' i.e. Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal. Click below to watch the video!
Download | Duration: 00:00:24
Crusin' into Thamel on the mini-Time Machine!
Let's go to the other side of the World and see what has been happening in the Sea of Cortez?!
Michael just returned from there...after cavorting with the cetaceans for two weeks. Here's a brief description of his recent Sperm Whale Encounter:
--------------------
The largest brain that the earth has ever seen belongs to the
animal species that can also hold its breath the longest and is
considered to be the largest predator on earth. The sperm whale is
that species and the spermaceti oil that resides in the sperm whales
block shaped head was prized in
the early days of whaling and quite literally fueled the industrial
age. Sperm whales often exhibited acts of revenge when there was
blood in the water in the days of whaling. They were known to at
times smash ships to pieces as the whales family members were being
harpooned in the deep seas.
In great contrast to all of that we encountered approximately 70
sperm whales on March the 3rd. There were big bull males, females,
juvenilles and calves all present, and some of the behaviors we
witnessed were remarkable. We saw groups of 7-10 whales literally
rolling over each others bodies, we saw calves swimming under their
mothers, we had curious whales that swam up to our boat and took
endless minutes stopping and starting as they checked out each side
and the rear. We had breaching and individuals clearly looking at us
and what really made the whole encounter much more special was the
state of the sea. It was about as flat calm as deep waters can get.
Most of the time the only distortion we got when observing the sperm
whales close up was that which was created by the movements of the
whales themselves.
I was greatly impressed by the curiosity and gentleness of the
whales and also by the power of them. To see them interact with one
another in groups was a real privilege. Most of the time our engine
was off and we just sat and stared in awe at the groups from a
distance. Usually some or all of them decided to swim over to us and
either interact with each other near to us or to interact with us. I
wondered if the calm sea state gave them an opportunity to see us as
clearly as we saw them and whether they were not truly eager to take
advantage of this opportunity.
Michael Fishbach
Naturalist
SecretSpot.NET
PhillMichael.com
--------------------
I've experienced Sperm Whales beneath Pura Vida(my Baja dive boat) in the years past...and I can assure you that Michael must have been on a massive natural high! Interactions with the Friendlies is always a joy. Michael knows how to find them...so I'd suggest you join us some time...and get 'up-close-and-personal' with the biggest mammals on the Earth.
I'm not sure exactly when I can get back to the my beloved Baja...but my heart is always with her. All in good time. =^)
I am planning on visiting with a few Beluga Whales in early August of 2009 though...
Dawa, Chris and I have a Denali Traverse to start tackling in about two months...so I had better focus on that! B^)
We'll be doing daily dispatches from just below the Arctic Circle...while traversing the highest peak in North America.
You can virtually climb with us by subscribing to the Secret Spot Seven Summits blog (PhillMichael.com).
You can also track our progress via a map at www.secretspotalaska.com!
One or two of our blog subscribers might also be lucky enough to interact with us via live satellite video conferencing while we are on the mountain. All they will need is Skype...and we can record the session for SecretSpot.TV. That could be YOU! B^)
Our past Full Moon was in Virgo. That heralded the birth of the SherpaSchool.ORG ! More about both of those subjects in the next dispatch...
Until Soon
Phill =^)
PHILL MICHAEL | Expedition Leader and Summit Climber
Everest Freestyle Expedition/Secret Spot Seven Summits
SecretSpot.NET
PhillMichael.COM
SherpaSchool.ORG
Posted by Phill Michael at 3/20/2009 11:23 AM 
Categories: Beluga, SecretSpotEverest.com, Satellite Phone Store, Mini Time Machine, SecretSpotAlaska, Frick, Sherpa, Nepal, Surefire, SecretSpotAfrica, Kathmandu, Oakley, Everest, tibet, SecretSpot.NET, Tilman Trek, Medtronic, Kilimanjaro, secretspot7summits.com, Phill Michael, Seven Summits, Denali, SecretSpot.TV, Whales, Virgo Moon, Baja
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Categories: Beluga, SecretSpotEverest.com, Satellite Phone Store, Mini Time Machine, SecretSpotAlaska, Frick, Sherpa, Nepal, Surefire, SecretSpotAfrica, Kathmandu, Oakley, Everest, tibet, SecretSpot.NET, Tilman Trek, Medtronic, Kilimanjaro, secretspot7summits.com, Phill Michael, Seven Summits, Denali, SecretSpot.TV, Whales, Virgo Moon, Baja
Tags: Beluga Satellite Phone Store Mini Time Machine SecretSpotAlaska Frick secretspot7summits.com Nepal Surefire Baja Kathmandu Oakley Everest SecretSpotEverest.com SecretSpot.NET Tilman Trek SecretSpotAfrica Kilimanjaro Phill Michael Seven Summits Denali SecretSpot.TV Whales Virgo Moon Medtronic tibet Sherpa
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