The Woman Who Speaks To Whales | Whale Guardian

Just beneath the surface of our oceans lies a world we've barely discovered. Ancient, sentient beings concealed beneath the surface offer us a window into our future. For 28 years, cetacean scientist and conservationist Nan Hauser has journeyed alongside these gentle giants. Her decades of research and data continue to deepen our understanding of these majestic creatures and the vast marine ecosystems they inhabit. She's opened a door into the secret lives of the ocean's guardians, connecting us all to their mysterious world in a life spent in awe of the whale. Whales are a symbol of peace, wisdom, and longevity. They invoke a sense of wonder, enriching the lives of many people who come into contact with them. From a young age, Nan Hauser felt a profound connection to these spirits of the deep. In her childhood, on holiday in Bermuda, Nan first heard whale song. It was there she fell in love with whales. I had this concept of studying whales and protecting them, and this concept was to be underwater and get to know them and study them, and everyone laughed at me. Everyone, even marine mammalogists all over the world, laughed at me and said, you can't do that. Of course you can't do that. Despite others telling her it was impossible or even dangerous, Nan set out on her quest of studying whales in their natural habitat. Driven by persistence, passion, and an unwavering belief that protecting whales was more than a choice, it was a calling. Many of us forget that planet Earth is in fact over 70% water. Nan Hauser's life's work highlights just how intertwined our fate is with the oceans, especially with the giants that roam them. Nan's home base is on the island of Rarotonga, one of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. It is paradise. There's a price to paradise, but it is paradise. It is a rock in the middle of nowhere, a rock with 1.2 million square kilometers of ocean and 15 tiny little islands that are so far away from each other, they're really hard to get to. Living here for over 20 years, she finds herself surrounded by pristine reefs, just a stone's throw from the land, a perfect vantage point for whale sightings. Each day, Nan's research takes her back to the place she considers her true home, the open ocean. The big blue is her safe space, a realm of calm and endless possibility. You want to drink it. You want to absorb it through your pores. You want to embrace it. You want to submerge your whole being in it. And I do. And it takes me away from anything or any place or anyone. I'm just there in the big blue. And it's a blue that you never forget. Humpback whales are one of the most watched and well-studied species of whale. The population frequenting Rarotonga are among the world's last critically endangered migratory groups. Every year, these whales undertake one of the longest migrations on earth, traveling from the icy feeding grounds of Antarctica to the warmer waters of the South Pacific to mate and give birth. The calm, shallow reefs of Rarotonga serve as an ideal nursery for young calves to build their strength before making the arduous journey back south. Every time these giants pass through, Nan seizes this fleeting window to gather vital data on their migration patterns, genetics, and behaviors, information that is crucial for their conservation. Humpbacks are easily identified by their long pectoral fins, nearly a third of their total length, and by the distinctive hump that arches dramatically as they dive. We've got three here, and we've got at least two there. Okay, we've got the three off-tail. Okay, let's keep moving. Maybe that's another calf in escort. The whales that pass through Rarotonga often move in small groups. A common sighting is a mother and her calf, accompanied by a male escort. They're just like angels flying around, upside down and around, and it's like a dance. It's like a ballet. And when they look at you with that eye, and you're that far away from that eye, you feel like this incredible wise, wise animal is trying to tell you something. Despite their grace and intelligence, humpback whales were once hunted nearly to extinction. Today, while a few countries still engage in whaling, many have transitioned to whale-watching, offering a glimmer of hope for the species' slow recovery. Global efforts to protect humpbacks have allowed their numbers to rebound in many parts of the world. Around 80,000 humpbacks now navigate our oceans, and many populations are still on the rise. Allowing whale populations to grow could prove crucial not just for their own survival, but for ours. Global warming poses a critical challenge. Accelerating ocean warming and acidification that threatens marine ecosystems. Rising carbon dioxide levels driven by the rapid expansion of human industry are a key contributor to these changes. Incredibly, it's the whales themselves that may hold part of the solution. Humpbacks serve as a keystone species and regulate the food chain through a phenomenon known as the poop loop. By consuming krill, humpbacks release nutrient-rich feces into the water, which nourishes phytoplankton, a microscopic organism that absorbs sunlight at the ocean surface. This tiny life form is the primary food source supporting all marine life. And it also removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. For centuries, humans slaughtered whales on an industrial scale, never realizing we were worsening our own global crisis. Therefore, observing humpback migration patterns now is crucial as they distribute vital nutrients across the world's oceans. Yet the whales still face numerous threats on their journeys, from fishing nets and vessel strikes to noise pollution and rising water temperatures. Rarotonga, however, remains a relative safe haven. I think Rarotonga is the place to study humpbacks. It's all still such a mystery about why we only have a couple whales that have returned in 20 years and there are new whales every year and it's a corridor. I find it a fascinating place that is so different than other islands and that's why I'm still there after 20 years. Nan's life was almost cut short at a very early age and she still suffers from the aftermath of a horrific accident. I don't consider myself ill or sick or a victim or anything like that but I do take my meds four times a day and if I don't I suffer severely and so do the people around me because they have to deal with seizures and I mean it's not a pretty disease to have epilepsy. I consider myself lucky that I survived a very severe accident. At 18 months old, Nan fell headfirst from a second story porch onto the pavement below. I broke the first seven vertebrae and fractured my skull and I was unconscious for a while and I don't know why I came back but I did. I was knocked out and the doctor said to my mom somebody up there must really like you and I guess that's true. Somebody was watching over me something some greater power some spirit was watching over me so I'm here and I've been here for a while and I appreciate and respect every day and I'm very grateful. I am not gonna change my life because of this illness. It's an ugly nasty disease. I have respect for it enough to take my meds and not be around flashing lights and not get dehydrated and not let my blood sugar level get too low and not get too stressed out. It's this illness that keeps Nan out of the water on her doctor's orders but there's still a wealth of valuable research to be done at the surface. As humpbacks swim and breach, small fragments of skin naturally fall off and a key part of Nan's work involves collecting shed whale skin. These tissue samples are vital for genetic analyses and to examine how whales store and cycle carbon. By sequencing DNA, researchers can identify individual whales learning whether they are male or female and whether they carry particular genetic markers. Microorganisms that live on the whale's skin can also provide vital information for monitoring their overall health and nutrition. By examining these skin microbes throughout the year, researchers can detect how climate change and human activity influence the whale's habitat. 21, 11.799, West 159, 45.402. The whale's movements are intricately catalogued via GPS readings and voice recordings. All this data offers a piece of the puzzle in understanding how these whales live and how best to protect them. Research is really serious to me and I know they call me the whale witch but that's because the research has to be exact. It doesn't do any good to research an animal or anything in the world if it's not really, really excellent. I want them to assist at their very fullest potential. I know that they call it the Nan Hauser boot camp and I admit that I can be hard on my students and assistants but I love them to death, seriously. Each assistant arrives with a strong sense of purpose and it's up to Nan to help them channel that passion into effective action. To track specific humpback whales on their migration through Rarotonga, Nan's team relies on fluke identification. Each animal has an individual tail fluke. When you get that fluke, you've got an ID, you've got the perfect ID. It's like us having a fingerprint which has its own identification once it becomes an adult and it has that fluke, that pattern for the rest of its life. So that's how we can differentiate one whale from the next. Of course, this only works if the cameras are pointed in the right direction. Fluke patterns are unique to individual whales and become a prime method of cataloging the visitors. And this is really interesting and we see this in a bunch of whales. All the data on fluke IDs, skin samples, and acoustic recordings is shared with a broad network of scientists stretching from New Caledonia to French Polynesia. And every scrap of information feeds into the Cook Island Database, a decades-long project aimed at expanding knowledge and strengthening conservation efforts. Nan stays in close contact with colleagues around the globe working towards similar goals. Started the Tom and Fluke Collective about three years ago and then just leave it available for anyone that wants to use the raw data. By pooling knowledge, researchers create a unified front for whale conservation, amplifying the impact of their individual efforts. All the samples are meticulously bottled and labeled, each piece of data bringing researchers one step closer to understanding and preserving these magnificent creatures. Perfect. The word conservation has always meant so much to me since I was a little child. So I learned to conserve things at a very young age and we built a nature center. Five generations of Hauser women came together to build the Whale and Education Center. My grandmother was 101 and my mom and myself and my daughter and my granddaughter. This community hub draws both local residents and tourists who discover new facts about the island's flora and fauna. Many learn, often for the first time, just how delicate the balance of marine life truly is. By involving families, schools, and local leaders, it inspires community-driven conservation initiatives. In a place where the reef lies just off the beach, it's clear that changes on land can directly affect life beneath the waves. One pressing issue affecting whales and all marine life is plastic pollution. Alexander Parks invented plastic in the late 1800s, a material so durable its own conservation is guaranteed for many centuries. Just every time you go to a beach or out on the ocean, you just find more and more plastic. It won't go away. Each piece of plastic removed is a step towards healthier habitats for whales and other ocean life. We need to stop this plastic stuff. We need everyone. We need to join forces. We need activism. We need science. I mean, it's ridiculous. I think it's a really big issue right now, though, and I think enough people are realizing that we better do something quickly about the plastic situation. Spreading awareness of the problem is the first step, so Nan travels all over the world promoting ocean and whale conservation. Visiting Bermuda, the same place that first ignited her love for whales, Nan now delivers talks and shares her remarkable encounters. Like that whale. You don't want that to happen all the time, right? But we let the whales come to us, and they really do. They really do come to us, and they know my boat, and I don't know why they're so friendly to us, but they are. And this is a true atoll right here. And you know, it's really amazing. You make your hands really small. The natural awe and innate mystery of whales effortlessly draws in audiences. Thank you so much. She visits local schools to raise awareness among the young. What you learn and what you study and what you write up and what you have the evidence of, is a really good way to save animals. Research is awesome. I love science. I can thank my grandmother and my mother for this. The curiosity gene. I'm very strict about my research. It has to be excellent. Do the research right. Get it perfect, because if you're going to write it up scientifically, it's got to be pretty accurate. I think a lot of that came from my medical background. Nan is deeply committed to the cause, using her findings as a powerful tool to influence politics and tackle important conservation issues. In an age where misinformation spreads rapidly, the need for good science matters more than ever. Yet beyond the realm of policy, Nan's work is grounded in the fundamentals of field research. And the quickest way to locate the humpback whales is through the local fishermen. I heard you talk. When we get a call, my heart leaps. Oh my gosh, they must know where a whale is. I couldn't do it without them. And so they're very much a part of the project and very much on my team. Local fishermen also provide vital information about other marine visitors. They've recently spotted a large tiger shark in the area, a predator that both the team and the whales know to avoid. Observing whale behaviors at close range is essential for Nan's research and to help understand the humpback life cycles and social structures. Come on, baby. He's up to something. Oh, here he is. Here he is. Right here. As a whale approaches, there's a moment of mutual recognition, a quiet understanding between Nan and this ocean giant. Humpbacks exhibit a wide range of behaviors. Spy hopping involves the whales gently lifting their heads above the water like a submarine's periscope. It's believed they do this to reorientate themselves in unfamiliar waters. Some days they just do it next to your boat and you know they're doing it for you. And it's weird that an animal that big could really connect with us little beings that they don't know who we are, what we do, but they connect. They're beautiful, beautiful, sentient beings. Okay, can I have my wet suit, please? Despite her doctor's orders, Nan can't miss such a unique opportunity to observe her subjects at such close quarters. For her own safety, she must remain close to the surface as an epileptic seizure in the water could be fatal. Luckily for Nan, more often than not, these inquisitive creatures come to her. I don't know whether they know that I can't go down to them, but they come up to me and I've had some absolutely miraculous, amazing experiences just being at the surface of the water. Being this close to a wild animal in its natural habitat fills Nan with a profound sense of spiritual connection. And it still is for me. It doesn't matter how many whales I've been with, it's still a spiritual experience. I can't think of anything that I would rather be doing, actually. Science may not fully explain why whales engage so personally with humans, but each observation is another piece of the puzzle. Research on whales is still in its early stages. Systematic study only began in the 1960s, leaving many gaps in our knowledge. Through Nan's research, every encounter reveals intricate details of whale communication, deepening our understanding of their intelligence. I mean, it involves so many different things, and it's very important that we have a baseline of all of this to be able to study these animals in the future. We're only beginning to understand the incredible feats these animals can perform. Humpback whales can grow to lengths of up to 50 feet and weigh nearly 80,000 pounds. Yet, they are remarkably agile. Breaching out of the water and slapping fins or flukes with astonishing power serves multiple purposes. They communicate, they orientate themselves, and some just want to play. It's beautiful. It's like an angel coming out of the water for a moment and splashing back down. And you're just in awe. They're the most incredible acrobats of the ocean. They blow your mind. They scare you. They make you feel safe. They make you go through every emotion that you have. And the love is so deep. It's like loving a child. Water can be perfectly flat. You're not expecting anything. And then, I mean, your heart leaps. Your adrenaline flows. And it's all in slow motion. It's timeless. And then it just slides back into the water. I can honestly say, I mean, I never get tired of a breach. I've had 28 years of breaches, and each breach is as good as the next. Back on the island in the relative calm of the forest, Nan and her team review hours of footage to better understand the breaching behavior. Oh, right there. Man, oh man. But you never know where they're going to come out. Sometimes I wasn't quite there in time. They were definitely interacting with us. It was as if they were showing off and having a good time because they took us into their pod. While many breaches can seem like playful displays, they could also be subtle signals of territory, curiosity, or even acts of courtship. Beyond their acrobatic displays, humpbacks also express themselves through another captivating behavior that Nan is determined to capture. Male humpback whales can sing, and Nan wants to record it. By producing sequences of clicks, chirps, and whistles, they create complex, evolving songs that can travel vast distances. We are so lucky here because we don't get just one song for the season. We have five different songs this year. In fact, I bet after we analyze them, we probably have six different songs for this year. Every year the song changes. So often we'll just be over a whale, and we'll hear it singing through the bottom of the boat. And the other day when I was in the water filming and collecting skin off one of the males, just my whole body was vibrating. It was like this incredible vibration through every part of my body, and the sounds of that deep shaking hanging over him. And then he makes this silly little bird chirp, and then he goes into a cow, and then he goes into a squealing dog, and he goes into every possible animal sound there is on the planet. It's really fun. These distinct melodies drift across the entire South Pacific from one population to another, reflecting an ongoing cultural exchange among whales. So there's gotta be data in there. I mean, the song means so much more than we could ever imagine. I could just spend the rest of my life studying song, and I'd be happy. That was awesome. Nan knows that every encounter with the humpbacks is a gift. Each moment offers a glimpse into their hidden world, a reminder that time is fleeting. And before they continue on their migration, she wants to seize one more unforgettable eye-to-eye encounter with these majestic creatures. Once again, it is the whale that takes the lead, drawing near and reaffirming their timeless connection. When you're with a whale, there's something they know that we don't. And they make you happy, they fill you with joy, they amaze you, they make you feel like you've had a spiritual experience. I don't really know how to explain it. When I'm with a whale, I become a more spiritual person every time. Spiritual or not, Nan knows she must keep a safe distance. The whale's massive pectoral fins can break bone. Yet this humpback's persistent contact is as curious as it is unusual. Something dangerous is nearby. Unbeknownst to Nan, the large tiger shark that the fishermen spotted earlier has returned. The whale begins to guide Nan towards the safety of the boat. Its behavior appears protective, an instinct to shield a vulnerable being from harm. While humpbacks have been known to rescue seals from orca attacks, never before has one seemed to safeguard a human. In a breathtaking moment, Nan is gently hoisted from the water on the whale's broad pectoral fin, shielding her from the threat below. Even as she attempts to retreat, the humpback continues nudging her towards the boat. Only then does Nan realize that her silent guardian had been watching over her all along. There's a big, big tiger shark up there. I love you too. With Nan safely on board, the whale slips away to rejoin its pod, leaving her in awe of its protective act. Whether instinctual or deliberate, this close encounter highlights the potential for empathy in these majestic beings, serving as a poignant reminder that our connection with whales may run far deeper than we ever imagined. Well, my life underwater has been the best thing ever. I guess I spent five or six decades underwater. And then I'm not allowed to go underwater right now because of the aneurysm that I had right here. And it really killed me when I found out that I couldn't go underwater anymore. Yet, I've had amazing encounters with animals at the surface. Amazing. Across Polynesia, tattoos tell the bearer's life story, an unspoken chronicle of experiences. Nan's latest tattoo commemorates her extraordinary, possibly life-saving, whale encounter. The design underscores her deep-rooted bond with whales, reflecting not just her past, but also her hopes for the future of Cook Island humpbacks. I'm really lucky to be alive, and I'm really lucky to have these opportunities to experience these encounters. Wearing her history on her skin, she carries the burden of what comes next, uncertain yet determined to uphold her responsibility to protect these magnificent animals. I don't know what my future is. I don't know what the future of the whales are. I don't know what the future of the planet is. I don't know what the future of the ocean is. How can any of us can only be hopeful and only try our hardest? So, I don't know what the future brings. And yet, I'm not going to let it bring me down, because that doesn't do any good. All I can do is my best to make the future better for everyone, everyone and everything. To be a guardian of the natural world takes an extraordinary strength of character very few possess. Our oceans are under siege, and they need all the champions they can get. NAN's pioneering research is opening our eyes to the critical importance of these marine ecosystems and the life they sustain. Let's hope the world is finally listening.