While spectacular on film, these shots are not easy to capture.
Whales are unpredictable and can be difficult to locate. Finding
the whales requires experience, science, . . . and luck. In addition,
spotting a humpback bubble net requires a very calm sea - not
something readily available in stormy Alaska.
Fortune smiled on the Whales team. The crew found many more whales than seen in previous years and some beautiful weather. Even then, filming the whales was not easy. According to Whales' two-time EMMY award winning Co-Director and Co-Producer, David Clark,
It took a well-coordinated effort to know when and where the whales
would surface. While it was often hit or miss, we became pretty
good at predicting it. One person drove the inflatable raft, two
operated the camera, and one monitored the hydrophone. By watching
for the whales' bubbles and listening to their vocalizations we
could estimate the place and timing of their lunge feeding at
the surface.
Much of the Alaskan footage was shot from the Odyssey,
the research vessel of the Whale Conservation Institute. It proved
to be a perfect platform from which the crew could live and work.
But to get the necessary close-up shots, the crew used an inflatable
raft with a special gyro mount on the front to stabilize the camera
in the waves. Getting close, however, was not without its risks.
During one shoot, a whale accidentally came up under the boat,
raising it out of the water.
Copyright Whales, LLC 1996.