In 2008 I flew to Tonga (as part of a team from the BBC) to film the biggest battle in nature – for the David Attenborough documentary series ‘Life’. Filming the Humpback Heat Run, and swimming into the path of 10 charging 50 tonne whales, was an experience I will never forget. I retold the experience for the BBC Radio 4 series Obsessed with the Quest. Read on for more details, or Listen to Obsessed with the Quest
The series features stories of dangerous expeditions with narrow escapes, told first-hand by the adventuring, tenacious scientists and naturalists themselves as they pursue breakthroughs in research. Other episodes include Explorer Victor Vescovo descending to the depths of our oceans, and Sara Dykman following the migration of Monarch butterflies for over 10,000km.
You can check out all the episodes here, and listen to my story here.
It was a real honour to be interviewed for the programme, and quite an emotional journey as I relived the experience of attempting something that had never been successfully done before, filming the Humpback Heat Run. I did one long 2hr online interview with the producer Florian Bohr, which he then cut down into a 14min story with a beautiful humpback whale song soundscape. Due to the nature of the show it is very focussed on my experience underwater, but of course it was a huge team effort from everyone involved. I was just the lucky guy who got to throw himself in the path of some charging whales!
Huge thanks to:
Safety Diver – Jason Isley
Director – Simon Blakeney
Topside Camera – Nick Guy
Al Coldrick and his team at Dolphin Pacific Diving in Vavau, Tonga