“I marveled at the size of his head. Most sperm whales that I had seen in photographs and nature programs had rather diminutive heads, lacking the squarish prominence of this bull, which made it appear more like a submarine than a marine mammal.

While maintaining my distance, I moved carefully alongside it so that I could study it. It rotated its massive hulk ever so slightly to get a good look at me. I tried winking, to communicate with it. He was probably wondering what an odd shark I was, making googly eyes at him. I rolled a few times to get his attention. He was completely unfazed at my exploits and let out a deep bellow in response, making vibrations pass through me. I guessed it was his way of saying that I did not impress him. The bull rose to the surface to breathe, the long body arcing and the spray from the blowhole falling on either side. It did this several times, probably preparing for its next dive.”