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Duncan Murrell - A Whale of a Time

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Duncan Murrell - A Whale of a Time

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  • Kayaking-Madagascar-journey18.jpg
  • Myanmar-Burma-agriculture30.jpg
  • Myanmar-Burma-agriculture29.jpg
  • I gave up on trying to find my paddle, and tried to find a quiet stretch of beach to make camp; I wasn’t really in the mood for attracting a big audience that evening. But as I was racing through the surf towards the beach I saw some people pouring out of the trees and racing towards me, and they eagerly helped to drag my kayak away from the surf. Looking along the beach I could see a line of huts set back from the beach, and there were more people swarming towards me! Greetings ensued and then I started collecting firewood. I assembled a big pile of wood to be fed to the fire gradually whilst cooking my dinner and when I turned around I was horrified to see that they had set the whole pile ablaze; it was party time and the occasion called for a blazing bonfire to celebrate my arrival. It was time to chill out, so I relinquished any prospect of dinner and a quiet evening, and joined the party. I made tea and tried to find as many drinking containers as possible. Darkness settled and the crackling fire illuminated the circus of animated laughing faces around me. My phrasebook once again became the centre of attention and everyone wanted to have a go at trying to speak some English. The trials and tribulations of the day were soon forgotten amidst the laughter.<br />
I camped near the village for a couple of days, doing more repairs and trying to heal my sores. I continued to be the centre of attention of the village, and many people stopped by to observe the strange piece of flotsam that had washed up on their beach. The apparent village leader milked me as frequently as possible for new English phrases. His big opportunity came when it was time for me to leave, and he put his newly learnt expressions into practice by giving a running commentary on my departure - “Duncan Murrell is leaving today and the sun is shining, it is not cloudy, he had a good time here” – all perfectly enunciated like David Attenborough describing the actions of a wild animal.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-journey17.jpg
  • Myanmar-Burma-agriculture27.jpg
  • Myanmar-Burma-agriculture28.jpg
  • I gave up on trying to find my paddle, and tried to find a quiet stretch of beach to make camp; I wasn’t really in the mood for attracting a big audience that evening. But as I was racing through the surf towards the beach I saw some people pouring out of the trees and racing towards me, and they eagerly helped to drag my kayak away from the surf. Looking along the beach I could see a line of huts set back from the beach, and there were more people swarming towards me! Greetings ensued and then I started collecting firewood. I assembled a big pile of wood to be fed to the fire gradually whilst cooking my dinner and when I turned around I was horrified to see that they had set the whole pile ablaze; it was party time and the occasion called for a blazing bonfire to celebrate my arrival. It was time to chill out, so I relinquished any prospect of dinner and a quiet evening, and joined the party. I made tea and tried to find as many drinking containers as possible. Darkness settled and the crackling fire illuminated the circus of animated laughing faces around me. My phrasebook once again became the centre of attention and everyone wanted to have a go at trying to speak some English. The trials and tribulations of the day were soon forgotten amidst the laughter.<br />
I camped near the village for a couple of days, doing more repairs and trying to heal my sores. I continued to be the centre of attention of the village, and many people stopped by to observe the strange piece of flotsam that had washed up on their beach. The apparent village leader milked me as frequently as possible for new English phrases. His big opportunity came when it was time for me to leave, and he put his newly learnt expressions into practice by giving a running commentary on my departure - “Duncan Murrell is leaving today and the sun is shining, it is not cloudy, he had a good time here” – all perfectly enunciated like David Attenborough describing the actions of a wild animal.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-journey16.jpg
  • Myanmar-Burma-agriculture26.jpg
  • In my Klepper folding kayak, with sailboat Avalon moored at the Brothers Islands, with Admiralty Island in the background,  Stephen’s Passage, Southeast Alaska, Alaska, USA. <br />
<br />
My Alaskan partner and I worked together at a salmon cannery in the fishing town, Petersburg on Mitkof Island. We bought a 26 ft gaff cutter from an English boat builder who sailed it to Alaska from Oregon. My partner Anne, named it “Avalon”, because of a special interest in Arthurian legends. I then bought a Klepper Aerius 1 folding kayak from a local high-school teacher who did kayaking trips to the Arctic every summer with her fellow high-school teacher husband. I was now fully equipped to explore Southeast Alaska with my partner. The Brothers Islands is a pair of small islands in Stephen’s Passage a short distance from Admiralty Island. It is a beautiful, safe anchorage, with a commanding view of Stephen’s Passage and humpback whales commonly frequent the area. There is a Steller sea lion haul-out a short distance from the islands, where I saw many entertaining performances by those most endearing of sea creatures.
    Whaleman.tif
  • Cook from the tour banca boat assisting a tourist watching a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with a shoal of rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata), Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawanDMurrellSE...jpg
  • Shoal of red fish that was trying to avoid a whale shark with a tourist from the banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_8230.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_2530.jpg
  • Over-under photo of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with a tourist below a tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_0637.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7453.jpg
  • Tourist and guide snorkelling with whale shark (Rhincodon typus) by the tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7360.jpg
  • Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with Spanish tourist and guide from the tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_3558.jpg
  • Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with the Captain and guide of the tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_3376.jpg
  • Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with freediving cook from the tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawanDMurrellSE...jpg
  • Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) vertical suction feeding with guide from the tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_2917.jpg
  • Myself on the left with guests and crew on the whale shark tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_2563.jpg
  • Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) ascending beneath banca tour boat with snorkeller on the surface, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_9736.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_9798.jpg
  • Over-under photo of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) swimming beneath a tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_9026.jpg
  • Over-under photo of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with the boat's cook and tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7495-E...jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7441.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7423.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7385.jpg
  • Tourist and guides snorkelling with whale shark (Rhincodon typus) by the tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7370.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7229.jpg
  • Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with guest and cook from the banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_3170.jpg
  • Two whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and guide from the tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_3088.jpg
  • Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) with guest and cook from the banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_3016.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7859.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_9755.jpg
  • Juvenile whale shark (Rhincodon typus), with tour guides and tourist, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawanDMurrellSE...jpg
  • Tourist and guides snorkelling with whale shark (Rhincodon typus) by the tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7363.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below tour banca boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines.
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_7253-E...jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_6958.jpg
  • Over-under photo of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) below banca tour boat, Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philppines
    whale-shark-people-palawan_MG_9748.jpg
  • Palawan-people20.tif
  • whale-shark-Puerto-Princesa3.tif
  • I often used to creep up close to the sea lions hauled out on Yasha Island, just off Point Gardiner at the southern end of Admiralty Island. I could see this young sea lion laying down on its belly, and that it had something around its neck, but nothing could have prepared me for the gut-wrenching sight when it reared up and I could see the full extent of the damage and suffering that this poor creature must have endured. The net had become deeply embedded in its throat as it had continued to grow after first getting entangled with it when it was probably playing with it. One strand of the net passed through its mouth like a horse's bit, and had pulled its mouth back into a horrific frozen grimace. I felt so sickened by the daily torture that this poor animal must have been subjected to, but it also seemed like it had somehow adapted to it demonstrating the incredible resilience of wild animals. Apart from its horrific embedded necklace it looked just as well fed and healthy as the other sea lions. I felt compelled to try to capture it without really knowing how I could hang onto the sea lion to remove the net, but I wasn't able to get close enough without disturbing all of the sea lions. When I returned to Petersburg I reported it to the Dept of Fish and Game, and was glad to hear that they were going there to do a survey, but unfortunately I later heard that they were unable to find the poor animal. I don't know how much longer that it would have been able to survive like this if it was still growing.<br />
This kind of entanglement in fishing nets is a major problem for all marine life, but it must be particularly so for sea lions because they are so inquisitive and playful. A few years later I was working on a whale research boat in Sri Lanka, and we came across two turtles entangled in a big clump of fishing net, but fortunately we were able to free them.
    Alaska-Steller-sealion10.jpg