Eric Stackpole

I couldn't believe it.

And it didn't seem like she caught anything that time, but as she came shallower and the light grew brighter, we were just amazed at what we were seeing.

It didn't seem like this was possible.

And then we started hearing a different sound.

It was a rapid series of clicks.

That's called CODAS.

This is the way sperm whales used to communicate with each other.

So we were hearing her talking to another whale.

We could not believe our ears.

And then we couldn't believe our eyes.

Rui and I were losing it.

The other whale came into the shot, and they were talking back and forth.

They were swimming and bumping alongside each other.

For minutes, we watched in disbelief as we watched this exchange of these two whales.

Friends, family, lovers, we can never know for sure.

But what we were witnessing was something no one had ever seen before.

I remember seeing the bond that they had with my eyes and also feeling it with my heart.

The footage we had seen was not just data.

This was an experience of life.

It was reminding me why exploration really matters.