Humpback whale rescues 'drowning' photographer — joins list of aquatic animals who've saved him
Connections can be formed with anyone in this world, regardless of species. This was recently proven by an underwater photographer, John Allen, who shared a heartwarming story of a whale lifting him to the surface, thinking he was out of breath. According to People, the Australian man has formed an “incomparable connection” with the large aquatic animals, including whales and sharks.
Allen has experience in interacting with these marine mammals. Hailing from Melbourne, he has traveled to 10 different countries in just eight months, doing what he loves most —forming connections with varied species. Knowing that these animals are dangerous and can put his life at risk, he shared in his interview with People that these animals in their home can be the most gentle creatures one can witness. To further bolster his stance, he shared an anecdote where a mother humpback lifted Allen’s entire body to the water's surface within seconds, after mistakenly assuming that he was drowning.
During one of his expeditions, he swam deep under the water, sightseeing whales, when suddenly a mother humpback whale stopped and took a glance at him. The whale thought that something was wrong and quickly used its hump to push Allen’s spine upwards in the direction of the surface. Within seconds, his view changed to boats and birds as he broke out of the water. The photographer explained that the mother whale intended to save him from drowning, and this is exactly how they typically rescue their babies.
Whales are mammals; they need to breathe air periodically. When baby whales are unable to do so, they are lifted by their mothers towards the surface in an attempt to ease their process of respiration. It was purely that instinct that led the whale to push Allen as well. This typical protective behavior is not limited to mother whales. Allen shared that tiger sharks have also come to his rescue — once again, without the need for it. He shared, “I put a hand on her nose just gently, and then locked the elbow. And then usually that's enough to redirect it, but then she was just like, 'No.' So she just pushed me back and started to push me back up the water." His stories reflect on how similar a mother's love can be across species.
Allen's case is certainly not the first one where these large aquatic mammals have gone out of their way to protect humans. In 2009, National Geographic reported that a whale protected a drowning diver in Harbin, Northeast China. Diver, Yang Yun, 26, participated in a diving contest to become a whale trainer. However, his legs were paralyzed as he reached a depth of 20 feet, where Beluga whales are found. The icy waters seized the movement in his legs, and he started falling deep into the water. But, to his good fortune, a whale named Mila realized that the man was in trouble and pushed him up to the surface by placing Yun's legs in her mouth. Humans and whales have plenty of things in common, and that is why whales can predict if we are in trouble or not. Researchers from the University of California predicted in an article titled, EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS, that whales and humans have a closer relationship than one may think of, because they have evolved together and share a lot of features.