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21 January 2006

View from the sky

by Hughie, onboard the Esperanza

Click for larger.
©Greenpeace/Davison
Having a bird's eye view is always very revealing, especially if it’s from a helicopter. You can twist and turn, stop and start, more or less as you please, thus placing yourself in the best viewpoint. Helping the camera guys (and girls) to get the shots is always a challenge, but they usually succeed. What we see from up there tells a bigger story than when you are at sea level. To be able to see into all the corners, the stacks of harpoon under the gunners deck, the piles of meat that are ready for boxing, and of course, all the whales on the deck waiting to be butchered. These are some of the grim sights.

What we also have the privilege to see is the whales swimming. When seen from above it is indeed a wonderful sight. Their grace and agility can only be admired.

For every whale that falls victim to the harpoon, there is another four or so that escape. We have watched a lot of mothers, with their calves swimming in symbiosis, ever graceful and gliding along silently.

When you see the hunters latch on to an animal, it is fairly certain that the end is inevitable, although we have watched the odd one twist under the surface and elude the grenade tipped death arrow. They are the lucky ones.

For most it is a gruelling chase, with the poor animal coming to the surface for a breath of life giving air, only to expose its self to the eagle eyed harpooner who will show no mercy or discrimination.
The explosion that comes from the cannon is something that literally shocks you, the acrid smell of the charge going off, and then you watch the rope snake out, knowing that it is following the harpoon which has by this time, buried its self deep into the poor animal.
An instant death is all you can hope for, but again from our viewpoint we have watched the whale dive and turn under the surface trying to escape. Pulling the line out taught, surfacing for panic breaths as it tries in vain to free its self from this agony.
The hunters, more often than not, have to put the poor creature out of its misery with a high power rifle when the have reeled it in to the ship.

As you climb away, suddenly this world of slaughter and blood is gone – out before you is the majestic Antarctica. Is this really the same time and place? It is a bit like the surrealism of a dream, but this is real.

The huge ice flows, the massive icebergs, and, on occasions, the mountains of Antarctica are very haunting and make you feel special – privileged – yet we are witnessing all this carnage.

People are strange.

   

Comments

I'd just like to say that for the past few weeks I've had the pleasure of being in the back seat of the heli, flying regularly with Hughie, "going up" to photograph the exploits of the whalers. I'd like to say that without Hughie and his skill, we, and I mean me and Kate (the photographers), Jari and Hernan (videographers), wouldn't have been able to get the shots we did, and the ones which appear on this weblog and in the media. Without Hughie it wouldn't have been as easy.....or as scary sometimes ! Anyway, cheers Hughie for your flying skills. You can put the doors back on.
jeremy (and the images guys, and lady)

Posted by: Jeremy at January 21, 2006 5:34 PM

without you the world woouldn't know what is going on down there. Thank you.
And thank you for the "people picture" HELP END WHALING.

Posted by: jeanne at January 22, 2006 5:34 AM

It's wery sad to see what's going down.poor whales! :(

Posted by: Laci at January 23, 2006 9:12 PM

Hello Hughie - Great post and I am glad to see you writing on here but what does "swimming in symbiosis" mean? Did you see one whale swim inside the other? LOL. :-D

People ARE strange, but don't be a stranger. I hope to see your not so ugly face again someday :op

Lisa (webchick in Iceland last year)
xxx

Posted by: Lisa at January 24, 2006 3:19 PM

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