Listen & Download: Conversations with The Whales
Welcome to my little cradle for some of the most precious things I can lay claim to in this life: recordings of my underwater conversations with the whales. The idea is that this shared archive will continue to expand, although it represents the proverbial tip of the iceberg in terms of the volume of recordings I actually have. At some point, they will be accessible in other spaces and contexts, and this page will be updated to indicate that when they are. For now, only the sanctuary of my site can hold them lovingly enough to serve as their online portal to the supraquatic realms of Earth.
Please read the introduction to each of the recordings before listening for context, and as you listen, I encourage you to pay special attention to the dynamics in the whales’ voices, noting the proximity or distance in relation to the hydrophone used to record them. These conversations are on purpose. They capture exchanges that happened after I had sung (with or without amplification) to whales who were within sight and had already indicated their desire to engage by lingering close to the boat for more than 15-20 minutes before recording equipment went into the water. They also include the voices of whales who were in the vicinity but did not approach the boat/ hydrophone directly. While there are so many incredible recordings of whalesong in existence (shout-out to the first and foremost, Songs of The Humpback Whale by Roger Payne, with infinite gratitude for his contributions), these are particular in that they represent what the whales are choosing to bring to direct exchanges with me, and through me, any humans who will hear them. I am convinced beyond any hint of doubt that the whales are conscious of the fact that they are being heard and recorded with the intention of disseminating their expressions, and I’m also sure, as I’ve said elsewhere, that they chose me (Wow!) for this particular part of their mission to help more humans understand that they share this planet with beings of a generous, compassionate nature whose intelligence is much more expansive than their own.
This work is only possible because I’ve been blessed to join forces with a phenomenal team of marine biologists, oceanographers and whale specialists who are among the folks who have worked tirelessly for decades to ensure the protection of these exquisite giants and support the recovery of their population to hugely successful outcomes. Again, I want to thank Sergio Cipolotti, Dr. Marcos Rossi Santos, and Enrico Marcovaldi in particular, as well as the entire team of Projeto Baleia Jubarte for their technical, energetic, creative, and moral support in recording, archiving, and sharing this work, and Guy Marcovaldi for providing the first trip out to the whales back in 2017 and all manner of support since. I’m also grateful beyond words for Laura Rubin and her gorgeous web design and assistance with keeping this site a living, expanding representation of my shenanigans, including uploading these tracks.
It brings me massive amounts of joy to share these recordings for free with whoever finds their way to my page; they can be listened to over and over. And--Whale Whispering needs funds to keep it moving forward. Making the tracks available for download with a financial offering is a way to keep the project resourced, so please consider downloading and/or donating if you have the means, and spreading the news of these conversations. They are for all of us.
