Release date: 1st April 2024
I entered the water quietly and saw two
humpback whales sleeping diagonally in the distance. Two school buses
just hanging in space…
Acclaimed wildlife scientist Vanessa
Pirotta has been mugged by whales, touched by a baby whale and covered
in whale snot.
In Humpback Highway, Pirotta dives beneath the surface to reveal the mysterious world of humpback whales — from their life cycle and the challenges humans present to these marine giants to why whale snot and poo are important for us and the ocean. Plus the cutting-edge new technologies (including tagging whales so that they communicate with satellites) that allow us to see where they swim, listen to them talk and even spy on them underwater.
Copy received from New South Books for an honest review
I am fascinated by whales. How something so large can move so gracefully, like a dancer moving through the waters always leaves me smiling, and a bit in awe.
And then I think about what humans are doing to our waters, and how we are affecting wildlife and I am just ugh.
So reading Humpback Highway was a no brainer for me.
I have found that a lot of times, scientific books by scientific people can be quite dry. Full of facts and figures, but no emotion.
That was not the case with this book. You can feel Vanessa Pirotta's excitement about her adventures and encounters jump of the page, and it makes the reader feel that they are with her as she swims with and photographs these gentle giants.
And now it makes me wish I hadn't moved 5 hours away from the east coast, especially coming up to migration season.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Humpback Highway, and now I want to go whale watching!
