Environment
Indo-pacific bottlenose
dolphins (Tursiops aduncus)
are among the friendliest
creatures in Bais.
Field Dispatch: Bais
Dolphins
T
he Philippines is home to 30 types of whales and
dolphins. Gregg Yan travels to Bais to look for one
of the rarest species of all – the pygmy sperm
whale.
Like a sports team before a big game, we
clasp our hands and bow our heads in prayer –
except we’re in the middle of the sea – and we’re
surrounded by sweaty boatmen.
Captain Ricardo Reynaldo finishes his prayer and gestures to the
water, strangely calm this morning.
“The Tañon Strait is famous for its dolphins and whales. Each has
its own personality: bottlenose dolphins stay near the shallows,
while acrobatic spinner dolphins ply open waters. Larger Risso’s
dolphins like to float upside down, tails sticking out of the water –
but the rarest creature of all is the pygmy sperm whale. It is very shy
50
and only passes through our waters. It has been three months since
I saw one. But perhaps,” he smiles. “Someone down there heard our
prayers.”
Aboard the M/Bca Ezrha, our sea-squad sails from Bais to the
center of the Tañon Strait to come face-to-face with dolphins.
The Pod
Thirty minutes on, we’re swapping tales and eating breakfast
on the boat, eyes occasionally scanning the horizon for our quarry.
I’m talking with a Marine Corps officer about his adventures in
Mindanao when the grizzled boat Captain points to a seemingly
empty patch of sea, abuzz with red-necked phalaropes. “There! Look
at the birds!”
A league off, blue water begins to churn under the circling
phalaropes. In seconds half-a-dozen people are scrambling for their
SLRs and compact cameras. Breakfast is swiftly forgotten.