The Atlantic Day 3

For the last two days, Dave and Claire had been communicating with whales. The Right Whales came first, then yesterday a small pod of Pilot Whales and another pod of Right Whales. They were becoming more proficient as each encounter expanded their knowledge of the whale communication sequence. Claire had made some programming changes which resulted in a much more efficient computer output. The computer no longer repeated the received communication three times. Claire programmed it to display the communication after the second repetition cycle and only redisplay it if the third repetition was different. Also she programmed in a number of standard responses as well as introducing the artificial intelligence module into the cycle. Now, after the communication was received and deciphered, the communication was displayed on the screen along with either the standard response or another response as recommended by the computer's analysis. All the operator has to then do, is to hit the y (yes) key, and the computer will automatically respond. If the operator does not want to respond as displayed on the screen, then he/she has to hit the n (no) key, and type in the desired response.

Claire surprised Dave with still another modification. She put an extension in the cable connecting the laptop computer to the transmitter, and now the operator could sit in the cockpit and watch the interaction.

When Dave had asked her if she "wasn't afraid of the effects of the elements on the computer, Claire laughed and said, "If you think that I'm going to sit below decks and not observe what's happening, you're crazy!"

Dave didn't respond, but he did think to himself, she was hooked.

Again, for the third day in a row, the ocean was flat with only a slight ripple caused by the 10 knot easterly wind. The barometer remained steady and it promised to be a great day for communicating with the whales thought Dave, as he climbed onto the deck. Rubbing his fingers through his hair, he scanned the horizon. Again they had the ocean to themselves. He felt like they could be the only two people left on the earth, and, quite frankly, he was so content right now that it would be perfectly okay with him.

Claire entered the cockpit and stood next to him. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she said, "Well big guy let's go find some of those jumbo fish and give them a piece of our mind."

"They're not fish," he said turning to her, and before he could say anything else he saw she was laughing at his reaction. "You know they aren't fish, you just did that to get my dander up, didn't you?" he replied.

"Well, let’s just say I know how to test, to always assure you are paying attention to me," she added.

Claire went below and returned to the cockpit with the computer. Placing it on the cockpit table, she positioned it so the morning sun didn't obliterate the screen. She reached into the side compartment and started applying liberal amounts of sun screen. Dave watched her as she meticulously covered every exposed part of her body. Watching her struggle to cover her back he reached for the bottle and said, "Here let me do that".

"Well it's about time, I thought chivalry had died on this boat," she answered.

As he raised her red hair so he could do the back of her neck and shoulders, he couldn't help but notice how blemish-free her skin was. Working down her back, following the outline of her bathing suit he worked his hands back and forth down to the base of her spine right at the top of the lower portion of her suit.

"What are you doing back there?" she asked "You're going to wear out my skin."

With lightning speed, Dave slipped both hands inside her suit along side her rib cage and, using his two index and middle fingers, tickled her. She yelled and attempted to pull away. Dave, reacting to her sudden motion, held her by her waist and turned her towards him.

With her now facing him, he moved his arms around her, leaned forward and kissed her. She stopped struggling and returned his kiss. As their lips parted, Dave looked into her eyes, "I want you to know how much you mean to me," but before he could continue, the familiar beep sounded from the computer. They both looked at each other with eyes as big as silver dollars.

"We will get back to this later," Dave said as he released Claire and looked at the screen:

pod of humpback whales approaching

3 animals identified, ready to transmit identity signal

press "Y" key to initiate

Claire immediately entered the command "Y". Instantly they could hear and feel the identity signal being transmitted. As the first signal finished its third repetition cycle, Dave turned to Claire and said, "This is it. If we can communicate with these beasts, we can talk to any whales."

Claire nodded, acknowledging she understood. Of all the sounds they had transmitted to date, this was the most difficult. The computers, sound synthesizing equipment and the underwater transducer were now truly going to be put to the test.

Out of sheer anxiety, Dave suddenly started to explain to Claire, "The Humpback Whales are sometimes called the singing whales. Their complex communication signals have been studied for the last thirty years." Claire looked at Dave as he spoke. Clearly his was an explanation of nerves. He had been waiting for this moment for years. Recognizing his needs, she didn't interrupt but let him continue.

Gazing at the horizon, Dave went on. "It was Jacques LaFleur who first publicized the whale songs back in the 1950's. Since then there have been countless documentaries and movies about the Humpbacks. Why, today you can even buy tapes or discs full of whales songs on the presumption that it is such a soothing sound it will lull the listener into a state of relaxation." Dave paused for a moment, glanced at the computer screen. It was blank. He again turned to the horizon, looking at the empty ocean, he said, "I assure you those sounds aren't relaxing. I have been listening to them for three years now and every time I hear them I get nervous. Nervous over what the hell they mean; ........and today Claire we are going to finally find out!"

He scanned the ocean and then turned to look at Claire, when the now familiar computer beep sounded. Both he and Claire looked at the screen:

the pod is continuing to swim towards the boat

recommend transmit harmony signal

Claire, not even waiting for Dave's response, typed "Y". They then waited..........Soon the familiar beep:

lead animal has acknowledged harmony signal

pod is still swimming toward boat

They watched the screen in silence, Dave occasionally looking up to scan the horizon. The familiar beep sounded:

the other two whales have sounded the harmony signal

one of the animals appears to be a juvenile, there is a lot of communications between the lead whale and the juvenile

recommend transmit harmony signal at increased intensity

This time Dave typed in "Y" and they could again hear and feel the signal being transmitted.

"How close are they?" asked Claire.

"I don't know replied," Dave, "You see, the Humpback sounds are so strong they can be heard over many miles. There are even some theories that they can communicate with each other across oceans. I don't concur with that reasoning, but I do believe they can communicate over hundreds of miles. The problem is that we don't have a good direction finder, to even tell from which direction they are coming, let alone a way to determine how far away they are." As Dave stopped talking, they both, as if on command, scanned the horizon around the boat.

The familiar beep again drew their eyes to the screen:

the lead whale is challenging

recommend increased intensity of harmony signal

Claire went to type in the "Y" command when Dave said "No, don't do that." Claire stopped, looked at him, and he explained. "I think for the Humpbacks, unlike the Right Whales, we should lower the intensity. We were doing real well, and as soon as we increased the volume he challenged us. Let's lower intensity below the level we were at before." Recognizing Dave's logic, Claire typed, "N", intensity level 3.

Instantly the computer responded, and the signal was transmitted. A few moments later the beep sounded:

the lead whale has returned the harmony signal

the lead is now signaling to broach

Dave stood up and tried to scan the horizon all around the boat. Suddenly Claire pointed behind the boat and shouted, " Oh my God, look at that!"

Dave turned and caught a glimpse of a whale, about ½ mile from the boat, falling back into the water. The white foam of the splash lasted less than 2 seconds, and then all that remained was the wave energy flowing out and dissipating into the calm waters of the Atlantic.

Dave said to Claire, "Keep your eyes open. He'll do it again." The beep sounded:

the lead whale is signaling to broach

This time, with both of them looking in the right direction, they saw a full grown 35-40 foot whale emerge from the sea as if trying to reach the sky. The animal was able to get approximately half of its body out of the water. It hung there for an instant, arched its back, and fell on its side, back into the water. Again the white foam from the splash flew from the sea like fireworks in the night sky. Claire turned to Dave in awe. The computer beeped:

the lead whale is signaling to broach

The aerial display continued for three additional broaches. Unlike Dave, who had seen these antics many times, Claire watched in awe. Never had she seen anything as dramatic as this, and they were still a ½ mile away. Dave was watching Claire and knew that she was impressed. "Wait till they do it along side the boat," he said.

"Will they sink us?"

"Only if they land on us," was his reply. Before either of them could speak, the familiar beep sounded. They looked at the screen:

the lead whale is signaling harmony

the whale has told the other whales to swim

recommend we continue harmony signal,decreasing in intensity as they approach

Dave looked at Claire, "It really does, I mean the computer, it really does learn," Claire pressed "Y" Rtn, and the computer took over the frequency and intensity of the signaling, while Claire and Dave watched the whales as they approached the boat.

How big are they?" asked Claire.

Dave turned to her, shrugged his shoulders and responded "I'm not quite sure, but from what I've seen so far, I'd say the leader is obviously a full grown animal. Probably 40-45 feet long, weighing between 35-45 tons. These are not small animals, we are dealing with one of the largest whales species in the ocean..............and one of the gentlest." he added.

They watched as the three animals swam towards the boat. "Their swimming motion is so graceful," Claire said, "you would never think that a 40 ton animal could move with such grace."

"Wait till they get closer and then you will see just how graceful they really are," replied Dave.

They were now less than 200 yards from the boat when they slowed, then stopped. "What are they doing?" asked Claire. Dave watched without answering. Then the familiar beep sounded through the cockpit:

lead whale is signaling, unknown meaning

Minutes passed. Beep:

lead whale is still signaling, unknown meaning

recommend lowering signal of harmony

Claire looked at Dave. He glanced at the screen, then looked at the whales just off the stern. Dave told Claire to tell the computer not to signal. Following Dave's direction, she typed "N". Then Dave again glanced behind the boat to look at the whales "He's sounding us," Dave muttered to himself.

"What did you say?" asked Claire.

"He's sounding us, using his highly refined sensing system to try to determine what we are. By now he knows we're not a whale, and I suppose that before he approaches any closer he's attempting to figure out what this thing is that is talking to him."

"What should we do?" asked Claire.

"I don't know, I don't know," Dave whispered as he watched the whales.

The silence was then broken by the computer beep:

lead whale is challenging

Beep:

new signal, definite communication, not defined

Beep:

lead whale is alternating between challenge and new signal

analysis of new signal shows it is similar to harmony but distinctly different, could be a similar meaning

new signal more intense apparently animal is alternately issuing challenge versus harmony and new harmony 2 signal

recommend return new signal

Dave looked at Claire "Makes sense. Let’s return the new signal." Claire typed "Y", and the computer responded by returning the new signal.

Beep sounded the computer:

lead animal is returning new signal (harmony 2)

will categorize this signal as harmony 2 for future reference as more intense signal

recommend continue sending harmony 2

Dave agreed and Claire typed "Y."

The whales now started to advance towards the boat. The large whale approached first, placing his head against the stern as if to see what this strange talking thing felt like. Then, in a similar manner as the Right Whales did two days before, he raised his head slightly out of the water and turning to the left, focused his right eye on the two figures hanging over the rail looking at him. Claire stared back into the black eye. It was as deep as the abyss of the sea itself, she thought to herself. Standing there, staring at this behemoth of the ocean, she was overwhelmed by its ability to float motionless while controlling its body movement to the mere fraction of an inch.

Just then Dave reached over the stern and while hanging onto the railing, he patted the whale on the nose. Claire half expected the animal to pull back. It didn't. It just remained perfectly still and allowed Dave to rub it. Dave motioned Claire to join him. She squeezed her body between the stern rail and carefully placed her hand on the whale. The skin was wet and firm but unlike anything she had ever touched before. As she patted the animal, it suddenly exhaled through its blowhole. Claire let out a scream and withdrew her hand. Dave laughed as he continued to stroke the whale. Claire, realizing her foolishness also laughed and returned to petting the whale. Dave looked around and suddenly remembered that they had two more visitors. He saw that they were also on the surface alongside the boat, watching as the lead whale was being petted.

Dave, turning to Claire, said, "I think we are going to have to share our attention with our other guests." Not realizing what he meant, Claire looked at him quizzically. Dave pointed over to the port side. Claire stood up and looked over Dave's shoulder.

"Oh my gosh," she exclaimed, "I forgot that there were three of them."

Dave told her, "Go over and touch them while I keep this guy occupied."

Following Dave's instructions, Claire stood up and went to the side of the boat.

While Claire divided her time between the two smaller whales, Dave continued to entertain the larger animal, at the same time slipping into his wet suit. After pulling his body into the tight suit and closing the zipper, he sat on the side of the boat and put on his fins and mask. "I'm going into the water with them. Make sure we keep transmitting the harmony 2 signal at a low level. Also if things look like they're going well, take some pictures, we may need them as documentary evidence."

Claire asked, "Is it safe to swim with them?"

Dave looked at the three whales alongside the boat and replied, "They're nothing but oversized big wet teddy bears, besides if it’s not safe, we'll know in a minute." He slid over the side of the boat into the water. This time it was the smaller of the three whales that responded first. Turning from the boat, it swam to Dave. As the whale approached, Dave floated perfectly still in the water. He could feel the animal's echo system scanning his body. As soon as he was close enough, Dave placed his hand on the whale's nose and rubbed it as he and Claire had been doing on the boat. As Dave's head floated above the surface, he heard Claire yelling. Looking up, he could see her motioning him to turn around. As he did, he found himself staring directly at the larger, 40 foot whale. "Oh shit," he thought. But slowly he regained his composure, and with the natural buoyancy of the wet suit, floated vertically between the two whales. He placed his right hand on the smaller animal and his left hand on the larger and slowly began stroking them. Claire was running all around the deck trying to find the camera.

"Shit, it's here somewhere," she kept saying to herself. Finally she saw the strap sticking out from beneath a towel. Grabbing it, she turned it on and started to take pictures. The camcorder began the documentation that they would eventually need when they got back to shore.

Satisfied that the whales meant him no harm, Dave swam toward the back of the larger animal. While rubbing its flank, he watched the motion of the whale's back as it slowly rose above and then below the surface of the water in rhythm with the gentle Atlantic swell. He thought for a moment and then as the opportunity presented itself, he cautiously shifted his weight onto the whale's back. Before he knew it, he was lying just forward of the dorsal fin rubbing the whale's shoulder area. The whale floated perfectly still. Dave kept rubbing. He looked towards the boat. Claire was standing on the cabin top videotaping the events as they unfolded.

The computer beeped. Claire stepped down from the cabin top and glanced at the screen:

another pod of whales is in area

lead whale in this pod is calling to them to come

additional communication taking place.....cannot interpret

Claire looked towards Dave. "There are more whales approaching the boat," she yelled.

Dave turned to her, not sure what to do next. "How many?"

Claire looked at the screen again. "It apparently hasn't determined that yet, there are no numbers given."

"Okay", yelled Dave, "I'll be right there." Then as carefully as he had gotten onto the gentle whale, he timed the approaching ocean swells and at just the right moment carefully slid off the animal's back. Back in the water, Dave was careful to continually rub the whale's side as he swam toward the animal's head so the whale always knew of his whereabouts. As anxious as Dave was to get back on the boat to learn more about the additional whales approaching, he reasoned that it was important to end this encounter as slowly and cautiously as it had begun. His studies had shown that whales in general duplicate their actions in similar social situations, and he might very well be setting the format for all future encounters.

As he approached the animals head, he was careful to position himself directly in front of the left eye, giving the whale a good view of him. Looking directly into the deep black eye he thought to himself, "I just wish I understood the complexity of the reasoning that is going on inside that massive brain." He went forward and rubbed the whale's snout. Having taken the time to do that, Dave turned and swam the few yards to the boat. Handing Claire his fins, he climbed the stern boarding ladder. Claire helped him over the stern railing and out of his wet suit.

As Dave quickly dried himself off he asked, "What's happening now?"

"Nothing new since I told you there were other whales approaching. The computer has been silent. I think it is having trouble interpreting the communications that are occurring," she replied. They moved to the laptop. The screen was blank. Claire typed in "update, Ctrl Rtn". The screen lit up:

additional pod of 3 or 4 whales approaching boat

the lead whale from pod called to them, using swim signal

additional communications taking place...... cannot interpret

"What do you think?" asked Claire.

"Well, the Humpbacks are one of the most social species of whales. This could be a separate pod or it could just be part of this pod which went off on their own. I'm not sure." Dave then scanned the horizon. There was no sign of the additional pod. Beep. Their eyes immediately turned to the screen:

the lead whale has signaled to broach

Dave faced to where the whales had been. Only one was visible on the surface. Then just off the bow, 40 tons of whale emerged from beneath the surface of the sea. He was so close to the boat that some spray from his re-entry into the water landed on the bow of KT. As the waves of his broach hit the boat Claire & Dave had to hold on as KT rocked from the concussion of whale and sea. Beep. Their eyes turned to the screen:

the lead whale from pod 1 is signaling to broach again

a whale from pod 2 is also signaling to broach

confirm pod 2 is comprised of 4 animals

Claire raised her head just in time to see a whale about a mile off the port side of the boat leave the water. No sooner had he re-entered the water then the lead whale from pod 1 broached. This time, however, he was further from the boat and although they later felt his wave, no water landed on KT’s decks.

Dave stood up and announced, "I think we are about to see some more aerial displays so get your camera ready."

Claire went forward and leaning against the mast, looked through the view finder. For the next 10 minutes the flat calm of the Atlantic was white with foam as at least two, maybe three, of the seven whales broached in an aerial display that begged the oohs and ahhs of a July 4th fireworks display. The whole time the computer kept beeping and displaying that one or more whales were signaling to broach.

Then, as quickly as it began, all went quiet. The ocean had engulfed the whales as if they never existed. Claire and Dave stared at each other. They both looked at the computer. Both the ocean and the computer were silent. Claire sat down behind the computer and typed, "update Ctrl Rtn." The screen lit up:

whales have sounded no communications in process other then normal identification signals

recommend continue sending recognition.

Looking at Dave for his approval, Claire waited. Dave hesitated but then nodded his concurrence. Claire typed "Y Rtn" and the computer continued to transmit the KT identification signal as it had been doing periodically all morning.

"What do you think they're doing ?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Dave. "Everything we're doing here today is new for us and for the whales," he explained. "I never would have believed that a wild animal would have allowed me to slide on its back like I just did. It takes professional trainers at marine parks months, if not years to develop the trust of the animal before they will allow them to do that. There I was only minutes after first encountering them, I apparently had the animal's complete trust, simply because we were speaking their language. I just don't know what's going to happen next."

After a short silence, Claire said, "Let me do something," and she typed a command into the computer. Not sure of what she was up to, Dave moved closer to look. Prior to her initial command, which Dave hadn't seen, the computer screen had been blank. Now it was full of information. Dave read it:

basic communication is interpretable, as specified in library there appears to be additional information being transmitted in what is identified as carrier

complexity of this signal....cannot interpret

need more interaction to increase library particular attention should be given to grouping of sounds during repetitive messages

although every basic message is repeated three times, the adjacent sounds generated, vary in intensity and content

this difference signifies additional meaning, not clear with current data

recommend additional interaction and analysis of adjacent sounds

Claire sensing Dave looking over her shoulder turned and looked at him. Not needing her to say anything, he returned her stare and said, "I had picked up the difference of the adjacent sounds during my studies, but, quite frankly, I discounted them because of their complexity." He paused, then added, "I know there is meaning to it, but my God!, it's just so complex. I was lucky enough to stumble onto the basic concept of the 4th & 5th sound sequence. Do you realize how difficult it is going to be to understand the other sounds?"

"I think that's where I may be able to help," she said. "We probably won't be able to figure it out on this trip, but the more information we gather using the artificial intelligence module, the more I will be able to feed into the large computers back at the university. And remember, the important thing is it won't be raw data, but data that has been previously gathered, analyzed, and categorized by the artificial intelligence module already installed in the laptop." She waited for a minute to let her comments sink in.

After what she felt was sufficient time, Claire added, "I have an idea, a little off the wall maybe, but I think we should try it." Again she paused. "As I explained to you earlier, the artificial intelligence module I installed in the laptop, has the ability to be interactive with incoming data, and I believe that building on the information that we have already programmed into the computer from your research, we should allow the computer to experiment without our interference."

Realizing the impact of the statement she had just made, she hesitated and carefully studied Dave, looking for a reaction.

Dave, uncertain of the exact meaning of her statement, asked, "Specifically what do you mean by interactive and experiment?"

"I mean that we now know that using the information from your studies, the computer can logically determine what response to generate in return to basic communications. When a whale is heard, we or the computer can now send out at least two levels of signals meaning harmony, as we call it; which in reality may imply to the whale, 'I mean you no harm' or 'I'm a friend' or a variety of other amicable meanings. We also know when the animals are saying swim, broach, eat, dive and a multitude of other basic sounds. You, and now the computer, also realize that there is much more to the language than that. The computer is now telling us that it has logically traced additional meaning to the sound patterns before and after the key phrases which we have programmed into it. In order for us to determine the true meaning of these other sounds we have two choices as I see it; the first is to record and study these sounds for the next several years or the second is to allow the new computer technology of artificial intelligence to assist us in the experiment."

"How would you propose to do that?" Dave asked.

"Well we need to very carefully record all the sounds that were generated over the last several days and document all of the actions we observed immediately after those communications. When this is completed, I will feed all of that information into the larger computers at the university. I truly believe that this will expedite a solution to breaking the code," she concluded.

"Recording the sounds?" asked Dave.

"Well not exactly recording the sounds," she replied. "The computer has been doing that since we started this experiment. Our real job is to go back over the events of the past three days and fill in our observations of the events preceding and following the communications." Then she added, "But even more important we must maintain meticulous notes from now on."

Dave nodded his agreement. Claire got up and went into the cabin. Rummaging through her belongings, she found two note pads. Turning to the chart table behind her, she grabbed two pencils and returned to the cockpit. Handing a pad and pencil to Dave she said, "Let’s start keeping those notes from now on. At the end of each day we will compare our notes, compiling them into one accurate account of the days events. Okay?"

Dave nodded in agreement and was about to ask another question when the now familiar beep sounded:

whales are swimming towards boat

apparent lead whale, whale encountered earlier is signaling to swim

all animals in pod are transmitting harmony signal

suggest transmission of harmony signal, as pod gets closer recommend change to harmony 2

Dave agreed with the computer recommendation and told Claire to type "Y." Claire did as Dave suggested, and as soon as the "Y Rtn" was depressed, the sound was transmitted.

Both he and Claire stood up in the cockpit to scan the ocean surface for signs of the whales. Claire looking towards the bow of the boat, spotted them first. She saw the tell-tale spouts and then the glistening backs of the whales as they swam towards the boat. "They're in front of the boat," she yelled, pointing towards them. Dave turned from scanning behind the boat to the front and also spied the animals. He estimated they were now about a mile from the boat and there was no doubt in his mind, they were heading straight for KT.

They heard the signal being transmitted from the bottom of the boat change from harmony 1 to harmony 2. No sooner had the signal been transmitted than the computer beeped and the screen read:

harmony 2 answered by the lead whale, and now by all the whales in pod

Beep:

lead whale signaling to broach

Dave and Claire immediately turned their heads away from the computer screen to the water off the bow and saw the 40-foot leviathan lift out of the water. The black body of the giant whale shimmered against the blue, cloudless sky and was soon enveloped into the white spray of the splash caused by 40 tons of animal falling back into the water. Dave who had been looking towards the fading splash, turned to Claire and remarked, "Even from a mile away, it's a spectacular sight."

The computer beeped:

lead whale again signaling harmony 2

7 whales in pod continue to signal harmony 2

additional communications occurring, unable interpret

Beep:

2 additional whales signaling to broach

As Dave and Claire glanced in the direction of the pod, they saw the white spray of a whale returning to the water after having just broached, followed immediately by the broaching of another whale.

Dave looked at Claire "I think we're going to have an interesting afternoon!"

It was only a few minutes before the whales were about the boat. Dave and Claire stood looking at the seven whales who were clearly studying these strange creatures attempting to speak their language. Although all of the whales were around the boat, it appeared each animal took a turn approaching them, slowly lifting its head slightly out of the water and carefully examining the creatures standing on the boat looking back at them.

Dave said to Claire, "Be sure to move a little so they can distinguish you from the stationary objects on the boat." Again two of the whales approached so close that Dave and Claire were able to reach down and pet their snouts. As they were petting the whales, the computer beeped:

lead whale has been actively communicating with pod cannot interpret

three of the whales are now transmitting a signal that appears to be another harmony signal

recommend returning signal

Claire looked at Dave, not certain what to do. He waited for a few moments, exploring his options. He finally decided there were none, turned to Claire and nodded his concurrence. Claire typed "Y Rtn." Seconds later the sound could be heard, transmitting from the underwater transducer. Immediately the whales showed signs of excitement. The lead whale began a series of fin slaps on the surface followed by two tail flaps. While he was doing that, two whales dived beneath the boat. The remainder, although not doing anything particular, appeared to get more active. All of this activity so close to the boat resulted in considerable rocking, which required Dave and Claire to hang on.

The computer beeped:

the lead whale is signaling KT ID, then swim command

Dave looked at Claire. "How does it know the whale is communicating directly with us?"

Claire, not knowing the answer said, "Let me see." She typed into the computer, "confirm conclusion Rtn."

signal received started with KT identification, followed by swim signal, followed by whale identification

signal repeated three times,.......it is currently being repeated

"Holy Shit! The fucking whale is truly attempting to communicate with us." Dave hesitated, "I think it wants me back in the water?"........... "Holy Shit!"

Realizing that the whale might actually be asking him back into the water. He gathered up his wet suit, fins and mask, and told Claire, "Tell the computer to signal KT's ID and then the swim command."

Although somewhat confused by the rapidly changing events, Claire followed Dave's instructions, typed the commands into the computer and the underwater transducer came to life.

Quickly putting on his wet suit, Dave slipped on his fins and while sitting on the edge of the boat told Claire, "Make sure you photograph this interaction." Dave put on his mask, and slid into the water.

Grabbing both the video and still cameras, Claire began to photograph the interaction.

The initial contact with the cold Atlantic was again a shock to Dave's system. But it was only moments before the thin layer of water inside his wet suit reached body temperature and, combined with the insulating properties of the neoprene rubber in the suit, began to stabilize his body temperature. Rising to the surface within the millions of bubbles he had created during his entry into the water, Dave realized he was facing the boat and quickly turned to ascertain the position of the whales. Turning, he realized he was being examined by the members of the pod. He could hear, and unless his mind was playing tricks on him, he could also feel their sonar signals explore his body.

Turning 180 degrees from the boat, he came eyeball to eyeball with the lead whale. It amazed him how this 40 ton animal could lie motionless, inches from him. Looking at the giant in front of him, Dave suddenly realized that a minor miscalculation on the whale's part and he could be pinned between the 8 ton sailboat and the 40+ ton whale........ But the fear of being crushed passed as quickly as it came and Dave reached out as he had done earlier and rubbed the whale's snout.

As Dave was petting the whale, on board KT the computer beeped. Claire turned her attention from Dave and the whale to the computer:

the lead whale is signaling to the other whales cannot interpret

three whales are emitting signals........cannot interpret

lead whale appears to be signaling whale 4 to swim

whale 4 has returned signal, unable to interpret

Claire stood up and turned to see what was happening in the water. To her amazement, the large whale appeared to back away from Dave while another whale, which she deduced to be whale 4, swam towards him.

Dave, knowing nothing of the signaling taking place, simply reached out and petted this whale as he had the first animal. As Claire filmed, the sequence repeated itself four times. The computer would pick up a signal from a whale, usually the one that was interacting with Dave. One would slowly back away or sink below the boat and another would take its place.

Dave, now feeling a little more comfortable with the situation, stuck his head above water and, removing his snorkel from his mouth, yelled to Claire, "Where is the lead whale?"

Claire looked around the boat and, pointing to the stern, yelled, "He's in back of the boat about 20 yards."

Dave yelled back, "Have the computer sound KT ID, the swim sound and the lead whale ID."

Claire acknowledged Dave's instructions and typed them into the computer. Moments after the new signal had been transmitted, the computer beeped:

lead whale has returned the signal as transmitted

Claire stood up and yelled to Dave, "The lead whale has returned the signal."

"Let's see what happens now", he called back.

With that Dave started swimming toward the lead whale. The whale stayed motionless, allowing Dave to swim right up to it. Dave stopped directly in front of its right eye. Allowing the whale a minute to study him, Dave again slowly swam along the side of the whale, careful to continually stroke it so it always knew where he was, and then at the right moment rode a swell and climbed on his back. Kneeling just in front of the dorsal fin, Dave carefully again rubbed the whale's back.

On board KT the computer beeped:

lead whale signaling others....cannot interpret

extensive communications occurring in pod.....cannot interpret

Dave yelled to Claire, "Get some good pictures of this." He did not need to tell her that, for she had been diligently filming the interaction since it started.

Beep:

lead whale is signaling others to swim

Claire quickly stood up and yelled to Dave, "They are going to start swimming." No sooner had the words left her lips than the whale Dave had been kneeling on slowly began to sink below the water. Dave stayed perfectly still and soon he was floating free above the whale. Obviously being very careful not to harm him, the whale continued to sink beneath the boat. Lying on his stomach and breathing through his snorkel, Dave watched the whale as it gently moved its flukes in one slow continuous motion and passed under the boat.

On board KT the computer beeped:

lead whale has signaled the others to swim

other whales have returned the signal

lead whale has signaled KT.........cannot interpret

Dave, having been in the water for over an hour, realized that even with the ¼ inch wet suit he was beginning to get chilled. So he slowly swam towards the boat. Claire helped him up the boarding ladder and handed him a towel. As he was getting out of the wet suit the computer beeped again:

the lead whale is signaling KT......cannot interpret

Beep:

the lead whale is signaling to broach

Dave and Claire immediately looked in the direction that the whales had gone. Forty plus tons of whale suddenly shot up from the ocean into the sky, only to disappear into a spray of white foam.

Beep, sounded the computer:

lead whale is signaling KT identification, then separate

Dave Looked at Claire. "Tell the computer to signal the whale's ID, separate and harmony." She immediately grasped his logic and typed the instructions into the computer. An instant later the sound could be felt and heard being transmitted beneath the boat.

Beep sounded the computer:

Lead whale signaling KT ID and harmony

Dave and Claire stood there looking at each other. No words were needed. They both understood what had happened.

Soon the only remains of the encounter were the diminishing waves of the last broach. Dave gazed in the direction of the whales as they swam away. Claire walked over to him and reached for his hand. They stood there holding onto each other, watching the whales disappear from view. Words still weren't necessary. It was clear to both of them, the whales had controlled the encounter.