Like a sports team before a big game, we clasped our hands and bowed our heads in prayer—except that we were in the middle of the sea—and we were surrounded by sweaty boatmen.
Capt. Ricardo Reynaldo finished his prayer and gestured to the water that was strangely calm that morning.
“The Tañon Strait is famous for its dolphins and whales. Each has its own personality: bottlenose dolphins stay near the shallows, while acrobatic spinner dolphins ply open waters. Larger Risso’s dolphins like to float upside down, tails sticking out of the water—but the rarest creature of all is the pygmy sperm whale. It is very shy and only passes through our waters. It has been three months since I saw one. But, perhaps,” Reynaldo smiled, “someone down there heard our prayers.”
Aboard the M/Bca Ezrha, our sea squad sailed from Bais to the center of the Tañon Strait to come face-to-face with dolphins.
The Pod
Thirty minutes on, we were swapping tales and eating breakfast on the boat, eyes occasionally scanning the horizon for our quarry. I was talking with a Marine Corps officer about his adventures in Mindanao when the grizzled boat captain pointed to a seemingly empty patch of sea, abuzz with red-necked phalaropes. “There! Look at the birds!”
A league off, blue water begins to churn under the circling phalaropes. In seconds half-a-dozen people were scrambling for their SLRs and compact cameras. Breakfast was swiftly forgotten.
Our boat approached the site—a roiling, bubbling mass, seabirds squawking overhead.
“It is a bait ball, a giant school of sardines or other small fish driven up from the depths,” explained one of our boatmen. By its fringes, I noted dark, triangular dorsal fins. Dolphins—dozens of them!
Suddenly, they started jumping. “Ooohs” and “Ahhhs” filled the air—along with claps and cheers. I grinned as I catch myself clapping along with everyone else. I’ve been watching dolphins for years, and it’s like this every time.
Whales and dolphins of the Philippines
Cetaceans include about 90 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. They’re mammals—not fish. About 30 cetacean species inhabit or pass through Philippine waters, ranging from the 2.5-meter Irrawaddy dolphin to the 30-meter blue whale.
The Tañon Strait, a 161-kilometer channel dividing Cebu and Negros, is home to 14 types of cetaceans, most of which can be seen around Bais City, a quaint coastal town near Dumaguete in Negros Oriental.
“Cetaceans are extremely important for the marine ecosystem,” said Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Director Dr. AA Yaptinchay. “Most are apex or top-level predators that regulate populations of fish and squid—thereby keeping the ecosystem balanced to promote diversity. The bigger whales, especially filter-feeders, contribute to nutrient distribution in the sea through a ‘whale pump’—thereby fertilizing the sea surface with their poop, which encourages plankton growth.”
Yaptinchay and his Marine Wildlife Watch crew have been working to conserve cetaceans and other charismatic species for years.
Once hunted and slaughtered for their meat and blubber, all cetaceans are now protected in the Philippines by the amended Fisheries Code. Still, many die because of accidental entanglement in fishing gear, which can cause the air-breathing mammals to suffocate or drown.
Known as bycatch, this causes the deaths of over 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises globally every year. Other threats include marine debris and plastic pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing and hunting, which, sadly, still occurs in remote parts of the country.
“Charismatic creatures like dolphins bring in millions of pesos from ecotourism, enriching the lives of the people of Bais and other coastal areas. Together with our allies, we work to conserve fisheries in the Tañon Strait by looking at the no-nonsense implementation of our fisheries and environmental laws to protect marine ecosystems and resources. This ensures that our beloved dolphins will always have food to eat, while protecting the livelihoods of our coastal residents. When done right, tourism is solid proof that many animals are worth more alive than dead,” noted lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, head of Oceana in the Philippines.
Special treat
Back on the boat, we observed the Tañon Strait’s stars in action. They are the spinner dolphins, distinguished by their elongated snouts and crazy, acrobatic leaps. Some sommersaulted, some did lay-outs and some—just to show off—did complicated corkscrews, spinning thrice before landing. They’re best viewed here—in the wild, which is not comparable to animals performing and suffering in captive entertainment facilities.
After a few frenzied minutes, Captain Reynaldo shouted the three words we’ve been waiting for all morning. “Pygmy sperm whales!”
Drawn to the commotion, a pair have come to snap up what the dolphins have missed. We did not approach, staying the prescribed 100 meters from larger whales. I snapped shots as fast as I could, but they’re too far out. Remembering my favorite scene from Walter Mitty, I exhaled and—reluctantly at first—lowered my camera. I took in the moment and realized that, often, the best life memories should be recorded with one’s eyes—not a lens. After a magical minute, they were gone.
Soon, more boats arrived and we headed back to Bais to let other visitors enjoy. Captain Reynaldo unleashed the coup de grâce—cold drinks and frozen watermelons. We laughed and dived in. As the dolphins and whales had their breakfast, so did we.
Image credits: Gregg Yan