Surprised to learn that ChomWhales, part of the NGO LoveWildlife, runs whale watching trips leaving from Bangkok, my wife and I went along in hope of a glimpse of one (or more) of the 35 strong pod, which live and possibly breed in the Gulf of Thailand. Here, 30 of these Bryde’s (pronounced broo-dus) whales have been identified and named; one is perhaps 50 years old.
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| A Bryde's Whale. Image from www.whales.org.au |
Although not the only group in operation, ChomWhales seemed a wise choice because of their emphasis on education and promise to follow strict guidelines so as not to disturb these majestic creatures.
Bryde’s whales are under-researched internationally, making Thailand lucky to have such a pod close at hand. Traditionally, local people respected these mammals as ‘Gods of the Sea,’ and often bury the bodies of breeched whales with Buddhist ceremony. Some Thai temples even contain revered whale bones.
Bryde’s whales feed on mackerel, anchovy and krill; attracted to the Gulf by the nutrients deposited by 4 nearby rivers. Unfortunately, the rivers bring problems, with discharges from industrial plants inland, flowing out as well. There are accusations that some factories ask ships transporting their goods to take their waste-water and dump it out at sea. Experts at Chulalongkorn University state that an 11-metre carcass washed up in Samut Prakan in 2014 died after being caught in a fishing dragnet.
To raise awareness about their plight, the Marine and Coastal Resources Centre has published a cutely illustrated and informative picture book entitled ‘Little Eden and the Happy Sea’ (available here - in English, reasonably translated). And there are calls for Bryde’s Whales to be protected as part of the government’s upcoming Animal Preservation and Protection Act. Let’s hope this goes through and has teeth.
We left early from the Chomwhales office with a band of friendly and excited potential whale-watchers. Arriving at the peaceful Bangtaboon pier, we grabbed the reuseable water bottles which we were given at the start (nice touch) and boarded the boat. We set off, in calm waters, straight out to sea. Our guide, Maria, gave an informative talk and we began to scan the horizon for seabirds. Seabirds?
Circling gulls are key when spotting Bryde’s Whales because of their strange feeding method. These whales bring their heads up at right angles to the water’s surface, opening their jaws almost 180 degrees, letting water, krill and fish rush in, before snapping their mouths shut, filtering out the water and leaving their meal behind. The seabirds flock around looking for an easy meal. We looked around, no whales yet.
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| Whale Spotting. |
Lunch was served in a re-useable container (further nice touch), but still no sightings. Our boat continued its voyage and a crew member chucked a Red-Bull bottle overboard (not so nice a touch). Then the engine cut and wouldn’t start again. We were stranded at sea. The captain radioed for help; still no whales.
On the horizon dramatic storm clouds appeared, the wind picked up. We watched the clouds change and move round us and there were no whales. Six other tour boats were at sea that day and after waiting a while longer, a boat came to our rescue. We were towed back to port as the Sun set. We had avoided the storm, been rescued, but did not get a glimpse of a Bryde’s Whale. Had the whale watchers on the rescue boat seen one? No, they eluded us all.
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| Being Rescued. Photo Courtesy of Maythira Kasemsant |
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| Back to Port. |
But it was a great adventure and a welcome break from the busyness of Bangkok. Invigorating in a way a glitzy mall simply isn’t. Overall ChomWhales are making a valid attempt at educating day-trippers about the wildlife in the Gulf. If you don’t see a whale, you can book your next trip for half the price. Because of the breakdown, ChomWhales offered us a free trip so we’ve got a second chance to catch sight of these mysterious beings.
More details at http://chomwhales.org
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