Inside a Blue Whale Refuge

ABC News Correspondent Jeffrey Kofman blogs from the waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern Chile.  We are bouncing around in the 20-foot research boot of  The Blue Whale Center on the shimmering waters of the Gulf of Corcovado in Southern Chile, surrounded by the magnificent snow-capped Andes mountains. The words “postcard perfect” come to mind as I look around in every direction. There may be places as beautiful as this on the planet, but in all my travels I don’t think I’ve seen anything more beautiful. ABC cameraman Scott Shulman, Producer Wonbo Woo and I have traveled all this way to see the recently-discovered population of Blue Whales in these waters and to meet the scientists who are studying them. At times these waters feel like they are literally boiling with whale spouts. Not just Blue Whales, but also Humpbacks and Sei whales (and dolphins and sea lions and so much more.) The massive animals – the largest on earth – move with a surprising grace as they swim through these waters vacuuming up millions of tiny krill, the shrimp-like creatures they feed on. The gentleness of their motion seems incongruous when you see the size and think of the legends surrounding these creatures. What we need are pictures. Even though the whales are big they’re not easy to capture on video. They spend 98% of their lives below the surface and you never where they’ll surface or when. We spend hours with the scientists following the whales from place to place in an oversized game of cat and mouse. The scientists are careful to approach the whales slowly, so as to not to scare them or startle them. It takes patience, and respect for the animals. It helps to stand back and savor the magnificence of the moment as you contemplate the sea life and the surroundings. To shoot this story we are spending four days in a very modest guest house in the hardscrabble fishing village of Melinka. A place far from the tourist map. A very poor fishing village that makes me think of New England a few generations ago. They do have power in Melinka, from 6 PM to midnight. Hot water? Forget it. But we don’t care. We know that few people are lucky enough to see what we’re seeing. What a thrill.