Scientist reveals what happened when reunited with the whale that protected her from huge shark
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Stephen Frink/Gregory Sweeney/Getty Images
There have been many times in history where people have been saved from animal attacks by another creature, but what happens afterwards?
A simple goodbye just doesn’t seem like enough thanks.
Thankfully, during one life-saving incident, we do know the ending.
During a BBC Earth interview in 2021, whale scientist Nan Hauser recalled the moment she was rescued from a tiger shark by a humpback whale.
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She said: “I knew there was a chance I could easily be killed by this whale.”
Though you might think it was something out of a film where the whale saves her and there’s this moment where they look into each other’s eyes in some sort of mutual understanding, it was anything but.
In fact, Hauser remembers that her run-in with both shark and whale were equally as scary.
It all began as the whale scientist was filming off Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.
She had been swimming towards two humpback whales when suddenly, one charged towards her.
With fins that are lined with sharp barnacles and gaping mouths, it’s easy to see why Hauser was so afraid of the usually calm creatures.
Hauser went on to describe the whale and how it seemed determined to tuck her under its pectoral fin, which could crush her.
But things would only go on to get scarier as the humpback nabbed her out of the ocean and onto its back, preventing her escape.
However, only then was Hauser able to understand what was happening and why she was being accosted by the whale.
Not too far away in the ocean was what looked to be two other whales, and one was smacking its tail against the water.
It was only as she looked closer that she could see that the second whale was moving in a strange way, with its pectoral fins tucked and tail swishing side to side.
That’s when Hauser realized she was looking at the biggest tiger shark she’d ever seen.
She explained: “I’ve spent my entire life underwater and I’ve seen plenty of tiger sharks.
“This was like a truck. This was a huge tiger shark, and it was coming right for me.”
The scientist concluded that the whale wanted to tuck her under its fin as a way to protect her, but when it was unable, it threw her on its back carried her back to the boat.
Hauser said: “I still to this day can’t believe it happened and being a scientist it’s even harder.
“If someone told me this story, I wouldn’t believe them.”
But this isn’t where their story ends as Hauser was reunited with her rescuer one year later after being radioed that a whale was in the area.
After quickly setting off to meet the marine mammal, she noticed it had the same tail as her saviour.
She said: “And then next I knew the whale came up next to the side of the boat.
"He ignored everyone else on the boat and he stared directly at me… I looked at him and I saw a scar on his head, and I just screamed ‘he’s back I can’t believe it he’s back!’ and sure enough there he was.
“I just whipped on my wetskin and slid [into the] water and I swam down next to him, and he opened his eyes and he just looked at me and kept nudging me... It was like seeing your dog that you haven’t seen in six months.”
"I miss him.
"I mean, who misses a whale?"