• Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:

    • Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
    • Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
    • Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
    • Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
    • All this and much more...

    You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!

freediving with WHALES ?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

peterk

senior water baby
Jan 29, 2002
41
1
0
I have done it - it's the GREATEST!

I freedived(freedove?) with Grey Whales
in the waters of Baja Californnia, Mexico

with False Killer Whales (pseudorca crassidens)
off Cocos Island, Costa Rica

with Pilot Whales in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico

and

BEST of all: I saved the life of a

Pygmy Killer Whale (feresa attenuata)

right outside the harbor of Salinas, Ecuador
spent a looong time in the water with him/her;
for details try the 'forum' on:
www.juprowa.com/kittel

Happy breathholding!

...peter
 
  • Like
Reactions: Erik
I snorkelled with a pair of Grey Whales near Port Hardy, BC, before I was a freediver.
I also snorkelled with a massive (400+) pod of dolphins up there, for an hour.
Quite the experiences....unforgettable.
Cheers,
Erik Y.
 
Erik,
You have just described my dreams... I don't have the fortune to meet that wonderful sea creatures in my home waters.
But I'm hoping some day I will meet them while freediving somewhere...
Peter,
Saving that whale's life is great and I thank you for it. You seem to have a wonderful life. Like you're living a dream...
 
Like liveing a dream....

Bit off topic, but just came to me as I read your response Jero...like liveing a dream.. I once met a woman who complained that she would have liked to do this and that..but now she had a family and couldnt do what she really wanted..oh...sad. ever since I have done what I want...I thought acting could be kinda cool..so here I am in UK studying acting...like liveing a dream...:p

Safe and fun diving to you all!:)
 
Do whale sharks count?

I have had whales swim right along dive boats that I have been on, but have only been able to freedive with whale sharks.
Jon
 
Damn right they count!
A friend of mine rode a whale shark near Cabo for an hour, with scuba gear. It took him gently down to 35 metres....and he got pictures!
I figure anything as big as a bus should count :)
Erik Y.
 
I did a 30min snorkel with a whaleshark last year...

And the best thing was that I was on my own...I just walked in from the beach (well...beach = pile o' boulders), swam out and BOOM...there it was

wasn't a huge one but big enough (5-6m)

Also I snorkeled with pink(!) dolphins and pilotwhales

awesome memories :)

cheers,
Ender
 
Risks

I remember seeing this one video with a couple that found a few dolphins and the wife decided to dive in with them while the husband filmed. In horror I watched as one dolhpin snagged the leg of the woman and pulled her down at least 60 feet. I am not sure on the distance but can you imagine,, they were just playing yet the woman could of easily been killed. The whole thing was like a flash very fast if nothing else your ear drums would get damaged. I dont remember if she was wearing snorkel gear. She apparently made it back up ok..
 
There are more and more whale sightings in the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe I will get to share such a wonderful experience....The whales are seen mostly west of the mouth of the Mississippi river. Good plankton areas as far as scientists can determine. This summer, I will do everything necessary to dive with the more common whale shark in the Gulf.
 
whales, dolphins

hi bluelq,

I have freedived with wild dolphins
on quite a few occasions.
They never showed the reaction
you describe from that video
- thankfully!

On the contrary, they did NOT want to be touched.

I have had my hands within 20 cm(8 ") of them.
closer - NO,
THEY moved quietly but determinedly away
when I tried to touch them
...peter

www.juprowa.com/kittel
 
Quote
[I remember seeing this one video with a couple that found a few dolphins and the wife decided to dive in with them while the husband filmed.] Quote

Hi Bluelq,

Yes I remember this video very well. The couple were diving with pilot whales, she was wearing snorkle gear and ended up with permanant dual ear damage. A good reminder to stay humble and alert. I am not much interested in approaching large marine life out of respect for them and interest for my own lifespan. The times I have been blessed to share their water have been pleasant, and they approached me.

Warmly,
 
yo octo,



This urge to touch an extremely appealing,
seemingly very
friendly animal is childlike and natural, I think;
- besides we've been seing
all this truly sensational stuff on TV and in movies
that might make you believe it's normal to do so.

My touching urges go back to the seventies.

Nowadays
I completely agree with you:
I let the animal decide on the level
of curiosity/friendliness.

(see the contribution on approaching whales in my forum
www.juprowa.com/kittel)

...peter

I used to live in Morro Bay, sold my nautical engravings
up and down the coast including
to the 'Scrimshaw' in Los Gatos, small world eh?..
 
my favorite, and aquiles and i have done this several times.. is swim with the great hammerhead. our experiences started w/ a 14 footer(which was quite humbling and scary). but, since then, we've seen quite a few and found that they are just as docile as the rest of the critters.

some will come in a munch on our chum pieces and we'll just hang up our guns for the moment and watch. my favorite was during the keys kraze(scott nelson got a first hand glimpse of this one). the shark had come in to munch on a grouper carcass and i just nestled into the bottom about 3m from it and watched in awe. :D

everything was fine till señor styron shot the mutton snapper that was snatching up the stirred up grouper bits floating back in the current. :blackeye jay had no idea the shark was around, but he, along w/ everyone else got to witness a wound up 8 footer. :wave

later,
andrsn
 
Alligators

Since Anderson brought me in to this thread, I'll share an experience from this past weekend.

Doing my usual spring dives in north Florida and went canoeing in search of a sinkhole that I had never been to before. On a very secluded part of the Sante Fe River and then down even a more secluded run. So much off the beaten path, that I joked with my two sons that we were the first people since the indians to travel this way.

Got to the dark water sinkhole, about 30' in diameter with one side almost to the banks. Got out of the canoe on the run side and stood on the ledge of the sink and started to put my fins on. Literally seconds from beginning my dive, my son shouts and points to the shore on the other side of the sink - shooting down off the banks and into the sink is about a 10' or more alligator. Gators are very territorial and May is their mating season when they are the most aggressive. Didn't take me long to figure out that the sink was not big enough for the both of us and got back in the canoe :duh. Waited a few minutes for the gator to surface but, at my kids' request, decided to just move on.

I have seen where Meghan Heany-Grier and team dive with gators (www.freediver.com/manny/swamp1.html) but I think I'll stick with the manatees (and even hammerheads) anyday.

Scott
 
Last edited:
DeeperBlue.com - The Worlds Largest Community Dedicated To Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing

ABOUT US

ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright © 1996 - 2024 deeperblue.net limited.

DeeperBlue.com is the World's Largest Community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving, Ocean Advocacy and Diving Travel.

We've been dedicated to bringing you the freshest news, features and discussions from around the underwater world since 1996.

ADVERT