John Hopkins

There is a greater urgency.

Nan can't see the shark.

It's hard to know where it now is.

All she can say is that the whale no longer seems to pose any danger.

Quite the opposite.

The reason for that seems too far-fetched to be true.

But everything in the whale's behavior seems to suggest he is protecting her, shielding her from the predator lurking nearby.

And so Nan yields to what is happening.

She lets herself be carried along by the colossal creature.

Nan feels the rush of warm air as the whale holds her aloft.

She catches sight of the boat.

It's straight ahead and getting closer.

Amid the adrenaline and exhilaration, Nan manages to take a moment to appreciate the remarkable thing she's experiencing.

If she wasn't holding her breath, she could laugh in amazement.

All her years spent studying whales, their intelligence, their sociability, it is all being borne out in the most incredible way imaginable.

Seconds later, they reach the boat.

The whale eases to a stop, curving his enormous body and raising his tail fluke, allowing Nan to climb off his back and onto the boat.

In the days that follow, Nan finds herself replaying her experience over and over.

She reappraises every detail, pondering the creature's actions, and how they might inform science's understanding of whale behavior.

Fortunately, everything was caught on her GoPro camera, so there is video evidence for her to review.