And God Created Great Whales

I believe that when one contemplates HIS WONDERS IN THE DEEP, whales occupy an important position in that topic. Genesis brings up whales in the twenty-first verse of the first chapter. Over my career on the sea, I encountered whales many times. Like so many avid enthusiasts, I never tire of observing whales. Especially in the wild. I remember the first time I saw Killer Whales in the wild. I was on a ferry heading from Juneau to Sitka, Alaska. We had just left Peril Straights and were heading for Sergius Narrows when we spotted Killer Whales off of Little Rose Island. Before that I had only seen Killer Whales behind the glass at Sea World. That experience mystified and transfixed me. I watched the whales from the ferry with rapture until, eyes straining, they disappeard in the distance. Little did I know at the time, that over the next twelve years I would enjoy countless spiritual encounteres with leviathan.

On this blog I would like to write about the Melon-headed Whales that I encountered off of the West coast of Guam in the early 90's. Once or twice a year we would enjoy seeing large groups of these whales that normally spend the large majority of their time off shore. One day on our way to dive the Blue Hole off of Irote Peninsula, I spotted a tight grouping of blows. At first I thought it was a bunch of Spinner Dolphins but quickly realized that their blows were larger and definitely not dolphins.

Here is some basic information about Melon-headed Whales from Wikpedia:

"The Melon-headed Whale (Peponocephala electra; other names are many-toothed blackfish and electra dolphin) is a cetacean of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). It is closely related to the Pygmy Killer Whale and Pilot Whale, and collectively these dolphin species are known by the common name blackfish. The Melon-headed Whale is widespread throughout the world's tropical waters, although not often seen by humans on account of its preference for deep water.

Taxonomy

On account of its inaccessibility (most scientific data has come from mass strandings), this species is poorly understood. Until 1966 it was classified in the genusLagenorhynchus. Scientists then reclassified the creature into its own genus, Peponocephala.

Description

The Melon-headed Whale has a body shape rather like a torpedo - its head shaped like a rounded cone giving the animal its common name. The body is more or less uniformly light grey except for a dark grey face - sometimes called the "mask". The flippers are long and pointed. The dorsal fin is tall with a pointed tip - reminiscent of its cousin the Orca. When viewed in profile the head is not as rounded as the Pygmy Killer and this may be an aid to identification.

This whale is capable of swimming very quickly, particularly when startled. When doing so it often makes short low jumps clear of the sea surface, causing lots of splash. Melon-heads usually gather in large numbers (at least 100 and possible as many as 1000 on rare occasions) and sometimes strand together.

The Melon-head weighs about 10-15 kilograms (22-33 lb) at birth and is 1 meter (3 ft) long. An adult grows up to 3 meters (10 ft) long and weighs in excess of 200 kilograms (440 lb). The whales' lifespan is at least 20 years and probably more than 30 years for females.

Their primary diet is squid.

Population and distribution

The Melon-headed Whale lives well off-shore in all the world's tropical and sub-tropical oceans. At the northern fringes of its range it may also be found in the warm currents of temperate waters. For example, there has been the odd sighting off the southern coast of Ireland. Ordinarily, however, the Melon-head is found beyond the continental shelf between 20° S and 20° N. Hawaii and Cebu, in the Philippines, are good sites for seeing the whale as the continental shelf is narrow. Although no specific data exists, the species is unlikely to be migratory in common with animals in its subfamily."

Soon after spotting the Whales, they came right to the dive boat and started riding the bow wake. As the captain, I knew that it was my job to immediatly maintain course and speed for the safety of the whales. There were at least 100 whales in the vicinity of the vessel. The dive boat was a two-deck catamaran set up for recreational diving. On each side of the vessel there were dive ladders that hung down in the water for the divers to climb back on the vessel after their dive. We decided to let down the ladders, and then climb down with a mask on and view the whales.. There was another captain on board so I had him take the wheel so that I could take a look at the whales from under the water. The sea around Guam is crystal clear and in the area of the Blue Hole the visability can be up to 200 feet. I climbed down into the realm of the whales and had one of my most memorable experiences with whales. I can remember a group of three that came swimming up the side of the vessel and when they saw me I looked right into the eye of one of the whales. They wouldn't get closer than about 20 feet but to see a whale in the wild, under water at that proximity was unbelievable. It was so cool! Looking out in the distance, there were whales everywhere. We had an underwater photographer on board so he took the following photos.

As you can see it was an unforgettable day. Another time that the Melon-headed Whales visited us, the whales came upon us while we were sitting still in the water. I grabbed a mask and jumped in off of the bow as we were coasting to a stop. As I hit the water and the bubbles dissipated from entering the water, the whales immediately dove straight down until they were out of sight. It was weird seeing the whales verticle to the surface but when they are in the mid-depths, I suppose that horizontal is irrelevant. A few moments later, here they came - straight up. This was certainly one of the most incredible wildlife experiences of my life. The majesty of whales deepens my testimony of the the Savior's role as the Creator of the Earth and all things in it. Truly, Whales bear record of HIM.

This is a photo of me at the helm of the vessel that we saw the Melon-headed Whales from.

You can see the ladder on the side of the Boat.

I 169

In 1994, while captaining a 140 foot Norwegian Whaler in Truk Lagoon that had been converted into a live-aboard dive boat, I had the opportunity to scuba dive on a Japanese submarine wreck called the I-169. The I-169 is a popular wreck to dive on in Truk, not so much for the wreck itself, but for the story behind its sinking.

Truk Lagoon is an atoll in the mid-pacific about 633 miles southeast of Guam and was a large Japanese naval base during World War II where the US Armed Forces sunk 40 Japanese vessels from the air on February 17th, 1944.

On April 2nd, 1944 the crew of the I-169 received a warning of an impending B-24 raid. They dove down to sit on the bottom to wait out the raid. The submarine failed to return to the surface so a diver was sent down to find out what had happened. According to Dan Bailey, who wrote the book, WORLD WAR TWO WRECKS of the KWAJALEIN and TRUK LAGOONS, the following is what the diver found.

The upper valve of the storm ventilation tube in the upper part of the conning tower was open a couple of inches. The valve had either been opened by mistake or someone had forgotten to close it during submergence and the diver found the control room to be completely flooded.

Because the conning tower was flooded, there was no way for those inside to escape. Also, the valves to make the sub ascend were in the flooded control room.

The diver did hear tapping and the rescue team tried to lift the sub up from the bottom, but the crane collapsed and because they were under constant attack rescue efforts were hampered. The subs compliment was 70 but there were 100 bodies recovered once the rescue team was able to enter. Investigators presume that some 30 shore laborers that were loading supplies onto the sub at the time of the warning decided to stay on board.

Someone made a costly mistake. Evidently, the Captain was on shore doing business when the warning came and was saved from the sub's terrible end.

The sub lays in waters 130 to 150 feet deep so dive time is short. As I dove along the eerie, rusting hulk; the sad end to so many lives for such a silly mistake seemed unfair.

After the bodies had been taken ashore, the Japanese depth charged the I-169 so that the sub would not come into enemy hands. Tangled lifting cables and jagged, sharp metal stood out against the sleek lines of what remained of the sub after so many years.

There is a good lesson to learn from the I-169: Small insignificant actions that seem inconsequential, can have huge repercussions.

Here is an artists drawing of what the I-169 looks like today after years of rusting and corrosion on the sea-floor.

Here is a nautical poem about that subject that I wrote for the youth while serving in the bishopric in Sitka, Alaska.

Just One Degree

By J. Brad Chapman

Here's a little scenario I'd like to offer you,

In it, your the Captain of a ship, you're brave and true.

And you'll be in command of the course and of the crew,

But first, let me share a navigational point with you.

If on your voyage you set the course, but were off just one degree,

Would you reach the port of call across the deep blue sea?

Or would you find a lonely place on some far, distant shore,

And realize a small mistake was at your problems core.

Just one degree in three-sixty, doesn't seem an awful lot,

Unless you want to end your voyage at some prearranged spot.

You see, my friend, just one degree when crossing oceans wide,

Could make you a poor lost soul, or a triumphant guide.

And yes, there is a price we pay when we are not precise.

It makes our chance of life's success like the rolling of the dice.

And sloppiness in thought and deed might not seem so awfully wrong,

Unless you want to end life's voyage spiritually sound and strong.

In the Book of Alma, fifty seven, twenty-one,

We read about Helaman and two thousand of his sons.

Now they survived the battle 'cause of what their mothers taught;

They didn't doubt and they obeyed the orders that they got.

And when the conflict ended all two thousand were alive.

They followed with exactness, not one single warrior died.

You see, my friend, just one degree, when crossing oceans wide,

Could make you a poor lost soul, or a triumphant guide.

So here, friend, take the wheel, set the course, it's up to you,

But realize, before you start, what one degree can do.

Will you, with exactness, be obedient and true,

And steer the straight and narrow course, until your voyage is through?

October 5, 1998

This is a photo of me the day that I dove the I-169 on October 15, 1994.

Our Trukese divemaster is next to me on the front row.

Those on the back row are recreational divers from the states.

This is a photo of the S/S Thorfin in Truk Lagoon.

It is a 140 foot Norwegian Whaler that was converted into a live-aboard dive boat.

Turbo Petholatus

When I think about all of His wonders in the deep, seashells are always at the top of my list. As a young boy my parents took us on almost a yearly basis to Scripps Institute in San Diego. One year we purchased a small collection of shells that were displayed in a cardboard box. The shells came from the California coast area. They were neat to a young boy and I took them to school and wrote a report about shells and used them as a display to go along with my report. I got an A on the report and felt good about my accomplishment. It wasn't till years later, while scuba diving in Guam that I realized just how dull and boring those California coast seashells really were. Of course, as a kid, I didn't know any better.

Over the six years that we lived in Guam, we collected many shells. It became almost a weekly obsession for my family. My wife and I had a particular dive site that we really enjoyed for finding seashells called Coral Gardens. It is near a small island called Anai near the village of Agat. We would take a skiff out to the island that was about a quarter of a mile off of the coast. There was a mooring that we would tie the skiff off to and then we would comb the bottom looking for shells. Of course, we would only collect empty shells.

Beautiful tropical shells are like bananas in Indonesia. Did you know that Indonesia has 60 different types of bananas. In the states a banana is a banana, right? Anyway, go to the library and check out a seashell book and feast your eyes on some shells that are so ornamental that they look hand made. A good shell reference book is: A Collector's Guide to Seashells of the World, by Jerome M. Eisenberg.

When I think about my favorite seashell, I think about a scripture in The Pearl of Great Price.

Moses 6:63 says:

And behold, all things have their likeness,

and all things are created and made to bear record of me,

both things which are temporal,

and things which are spiritual;

things which are in the heavens above,

and things which are on the earth,

and things which are in the earth,

and things which are under the earth,

both above and beneath:

All Things Bear Record Of Me.

I can never look upon Turbo Petholatus (Cat's Eye Turban) without thinking of the Creator. The Savior loved the sea side. ( St Mark 4:1) He loves his creations. I am mystified and awed every time I look at the intricate beauty of the Cat's Eye Turban. Can you imagine the excitement of diving along a sandy bottom and coming upon a Cat's Eye Turban? Can you imagine the Saviors excitement at creating such a thing of beauty?

By the way, the reason it is called a Cat's Eye Turban is because the operculum looks like a cat's eye.

What is an operculum, you say? It is a horny or calcareous plate attached to the foot of some gastropods, which seals the aperture of the shell when the animal is withdrawn.

This photo shows the front and back of a Cat's Eye Turban operculum. The green eye side faced out when the animal withdrew into the shell. The brown side was what the animal was connected to.

Why I love Psalms 107: 23 to 31!

When I was young I watched every Cousteau documentary that aired on the TV. Everything about his shows enthralled me. Winter vacations to southern California in junior high and high school further deepened my interest in the sea. It's funny because my brother was going to become an oceanographer and I was going to become a pilot. My brother actually became a helicopter pilot for the army and I became a dive instructor while I was finishing my music degree at the University of Utah. My dream was to write marine theme documentary music for Cousteau-style documentaries. I spent two years as a missionary along the Sea of Japan before college. Then, a honeymoon trip to the Bahamas set me on a course that took me from the Tropics to the Arctic over the next 20 years. After graduation we moved to Guam where I worked as a Japanese speaking dive instructor. I got my sea time working as a dive guide and eventually got my Captains license. Work and vacations took me to various islands in Micronesia as well as Indonesia and the Philippines. After 6 years in Guam we moved to Sitka, Alaska to work as a whale watch vessel Captain. During the summer I would take tourists out to see whales, seals, and sealions. Other times of the year I helped deliver new high-speed catamarans that the company built for tour and ferry applications.  As a delivery captain, I captained vessels to the Bering Sea as well as down the coast to Seattle and up the eastern seaboard from Florida to New York. The purpose of this blog is to share my thoughts and experiences about the sea. In fact, the title of this blog, "His Wonders In The Deep", which comes from Psalms 107:24, will serve as my motto as I share my experiences through the years as I have been awed and inspired by His wonders in the deep.