“Bound by Curiosity: The Diver’s Unforgettable Encounter with a Playful Giant Beneath the Waves”
But in this case, it was the whale that came into contact with her. She noted that “in my head, I was a bit amused since I write Rules and Regulations about whale harassment – and here I was being harassed by a whale.”
Holding On For Her Life
The massive creature then began rolling in the water and nudging Hauser, churning her while simultaneously sucking her under. At one point, the whale even managed to tuck her under its pectoral fin, making her hold on for her life as it lifted her out of the water.
As the head of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation, Hauser knew that the last thing she should do is make the whale panic. Unfortunately, the whale started getting really aggressive now and she was scared for her life.
Prepared To Lose Her Life
The whale was getting more and more aggressive, pushing Hauser incredibly roughly in the water. While the whale had only been toying with Hauser for 10 minutes, to her, it felt like a lifetime. At one point, the veteran diver even admitted, “I was prepared to lose my life.”
She continued, “I tried to get away from him for fear that if he rammed me too hard, or hit me with his flippers or tail, that would break my bones and rupture my organs […} f he held me under his pectoral fin, I would have drowned.”
Staying Calm In The Face Of Danger
Hauser claimed that she “didn’t want to panic because I knew that he would pick up on my fear.” While she was usually at peace around these animals, this was the scariest situation she had been in with one of them.
Her next step was to figure out how to get away from the whale. Although she had her team with her, there wasn’t much that they could do to interfere with a 25-foot long whale. All they could do was watch in horror and hope for the best.
The Whole Thing Was Caught On Film
Since the team was doing research, Hauser and a fellow diver had been recording the entire encounter. Both had cameras, so they could get footage as close up as possible. The other diver had never filmed whales before and didn’t realize how peculiar this behavior was.
Above the surface, the crew filming with a drone were worried for Hauser’s life and abandoned all the footage that had been shot. Hauser noted that they “did not want to film my death.”
Frantic And Afraid
As Hauser tried to calmly remove herself from the situation, she kept her eye on the whale to make sure that he wasn’t going to catch her off guard. After decades of diving without issue, she had never found herself in such a dire situation.
The whale had begun pushing her further and further away from the boat and she saw her chances of swimming away getting smaller and smaller. Because she was so focused on getting away from the whale, she had no idea what was lurking nearby.
They Weren’t Alone
During all the commotion, Hauser spotted another whale in the distance, miles from the shore. Much like the one she was currently dealing with, this one was demonstrating odd behavior as well and was causing a commotion, slapping its tail against the surface of the water.
The first whale hadn’t calmed down yet either and at this point, Hauser was beaten and battered. But then, a third figure began to make itself present from the deep. Hauser assumed that it was another whale until she realized what it really was.
It Didn’t Look Like A Whale
While Hauser was trying with all of her energy to get away from not one but two whales now, she started swimming toward the safety of her team’s boat. After taking her eyes off of the whale to check her surroundings, she made a horrifying discovery.
She realized that the tail of the third form in the water was moving from side to side and not up and down like whales’ tails do. Being an experienced marine biologist, she knew exactly what was lurking nearby.
A Terrifying Realization
As the third creature began making its way toward Hauser, she realized that the troubles with the whale were becoming the least of her worries. It was no whale, and it was coming straight at her.
She recalled, “So my mind quickly went, ‘Oh, my gosh!'” But as an expert in marine biology, she could tell what most animals are just by their outline or shape. What was coming towards her was one of the most feared fish in all of the ocean. It was a tiger shark.
