Captain Dave Anderson has over 20 years experience at the helm of whale watching boats. He recently caught drone fever and has been using the tiny remote-controlled aircraft to capture amazing footage of whales and dolphins from a perspective you just can’t get from a boat.
We’ve posted one of Captain Dave’s videos below for you. It’s a stunning compilation of footage of a dolphin stampede, a group of three gray whales, and a mother humpback with her calf. As he says, “This is the most beautiful and compelling five minute video I have ever put together. I learned so much about these whales and dolphins from this drone footage that it feels like I have entered a new dimension! I have not been this excited about a new technology since we built our underwater viewing pods on our whale watching boat. Drones are going to change how we view the animal world. ”
Captain Dave has, however, had a few mishaps on the way to mastering drone flight. He’s a had a drone crash-land and sink to the bottom. Another time, he cast caution to the wind and dove into chilly water to retrieve a sinking drone. “I get so nervous every flight over the water now, after the accident, my hands start shaking. My wife says no more drones if I lose this one. But she said that before I lost the other one. Now that she’s seen what it can do, I think she’s just as hooked as I am.”
Before you go out whale watching with a drone, keep in mind that Captain Dave has a lot of experience with whales and knows what he’s doing. It’s illegal to interfere with whales in a way that makes them change their behavior. There are serious fines and yes, the authorities do watch YouTube.
Dazzled by this beautiful footage of marine life? Let us know in the Facebook comments. Be sure to like and share!
