KAIKOURA
DISPATCH 12
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12

A new phase of the Kaikoura expedition has opened with the first test here of Crittercam, which collects video and sound data about the underwater behavior of marine animals. As Crittercam begins its mission, the other two computer-controlled camera operations—one aboard Mystique, the other on Tanekaha—are winding down their exploration of the creatures of Kaikoura Canyon. New Zealand’s Minister of Conservation, Dr. Nick Smith, has approved the use of Crittercam, which is mounted on a sperm whale by a suction cup.

In the first test Greg Marshall, a biologist who is also a filmmaker for National Geographic Television, tried out the procedure without Crittercam. It was a dry run in a wet environment: Greg and Dr. Randy Davis approached a 40-foot (13-meter) sperm whale in a kayak. “We got as close as a paddle’s length,” he said, “and then he slowly dove and disappeared.”

They’ll be trying again soon—with Crittercam—but the results will not be fully known until the images are analyzed for use in the forthcoming National Geographic film on the mysteries of the sperm whale.