Whale Whisperer ‘Dances’ With Sperm Whale In Astonishing Footage


A diving guide known as a “whale whisperer” has proven the validity of his nickname in recently filmed footage that reveals him twisting through the water and inducing a sperm whale to do the same.

Andrew Armour, 52, guides whale watching tours from Roseau, located on Dominica’s west coast, according to 9 News. He has been doing so since the early 1990s, and in the intervening years, he has developed a unique rapport with the whales that congregate in the region.

“These animals have been spending great lengths of time off Dominica’s west coast,” Armour said. “This means that I have been able to do quite a bit of interaction with these whales from the time I started swimming with them in the early 1990s.”

During a recent tour in February, underwater photographer Scott Belt was able to film Armour as he interacted with a large sperm whale, prompting the massive animal to mimic his actions. Swimming alongside the whale, Armour can be seen spinning in the water in front of the cetacean. As Grind TV notes, the whale responded by spinning its own body, as if engaged in an underwater dance with the guide.

“The performance of spinning and getting them to do likewise is simply from my idea that they should also be enjoying the interaction, and that is what makes what I do so successful,” Armour noted.

According to Belt, Armour made no mention of any plan to induce the whale to action, and guests on the tour were stunned to see the animal react to the guide.

“I was completely surprised by what I was witnessing in person and capturing on video,” he recalled. “There was no advanced plan that the guide would try to get the whale to react. I suspect this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I am grateful to have been present to witness this in person and capture it on video.”

Earlier this month, a group of researchers made headlines when they inadvertently filmed another sperm whale thousands of feet below the Gulf of Mexico. As the Inquisitr previously noted, the team’s ROV encountered the whale at a depth of 2,000 feet, shallow for the species, but also a rare venue for scientists to observe the cetacean.

Embracing his reputation as a whale whisperer, Armour noted that it has been “a joy to have worked with these sperm whales for the benefit of my clients who want to swim with them.”

[Image: Scott Belt via GrindTV]

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