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A life close to the Orcas. An interview to the Orca Whisperer
Posted on
02/16/2024
Author
OPAL ALMERICO
Pierre Robert de Latour, ORCA EXPERT, certifications STCW95, CRO, Spearfishing Master, Captain of national french team of spearfishing for 3 years, several times international contests winner in individual and in team categories.
Pierre has started in Orca Expedition as a guest in 1998. He has been the first snorkeler approaching orcas in Norway in a wetsuit. He included the Orca Norway Crew and has been guiding the dives all the seasons since. His experience allowed him to be one of the best behaviorists and a world class expert about orcas. His lectures are provided in different countries. And his videos are seen in many TV programs. Whoever is known today as the "Orca Whisperer '' or "Orcaman" guides and ensures the safety of the dives in UW close encounters with orcas for 20 years. It is a good plan to follow him underwater. If you can see him, the orcas shouldn't be far
Why are you called the orca whisperer?
I started studying orcas in 1998. I was the safety diver of the orca expeditions for the first Norwegian company offering ro swim with orcas. I started to explore orca’s behavior when I was in the water. I design a methodology to interact and approach orcas without disturbing them. My first goal is to interact with no disturbance. In my many years in the water with orcas, I have been studying when you are not welcome in the water by orcas. When I swim in parallel lines with the orcas, they are comfortable with this. That’s when I felt I was part of the pod. They call me the orca whisperer because I was with the Orcas all the time.
Do you study cetosonotheraphy and other species of cetaceans?
According to my experience vision, cetaceans are an underwater civilization and they have knowledge we have no idea simply because we can not understand their language. Their sounds are complex and they have a culture. They are highly socially intelligent marine mammals. They have perfect control on the production of their sounds. It evolved millions of years ago. Orcas have been sharing their knowledge from generation to generation for millions of years. The part of their bodies that produces sound has been improved by evolution. Some frequencies can be used as for healing medicine and helps the Orca's way of life. Sound has an effect on organic matter cells. In the past humans had used sound healing with bowls and other instruments to heal themselves. Nowadays humans have forgotten that. There is a scientific article saying that Orcas can manipulate the bladder of herring meaning that they know how to use sounds for something else than just communication.
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What is the main cause of strandings?
Pilot Whales are very susceptible to stranding. If one pilot whales stranded itself because of echolocation the rest of the pod follows. The place with the most whale strandings is in the USA. Also, that is where we find the highest amount of chemicals in the environment, and that can be lethal for these whales. Noise pollution causes dolphins and whales to lose their echolocation ability because of underwater noise interference.
“I was part of a survey on the south coast of France '' I have over 30 years of experience with orcas . The study was made on 38 carcasses of dolphins that were stranded. “Common dolphin and pilot whales “. Results show that PCBs and pesticides were present in those individuals. This study was done in 2003. Whales are highly contaminated with chemicals. The place that is most contaminated is the USA. The consequences of chemical pollution are neonatal deaths. The mothers when they feed their calves they are passing heavy metals to their calves through their milk and that is what is causing neonatal death.
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Animal farming uses fertilizers, pesticides and GMOs. Our sustainable choices decrease chemical pollution such as buying organic foods. Molecules are very stable when they enter the food chain then they bioaccumulate and it is difficult to get rid of them.
What is Cetosonotheraphy?
Designed by Pierre Robert de Latour in 2019 , the cetosonotherapy (CST) is an holistic healing method based on the capability of some sounds emitted by different species of cetaceans to enter in sympathetic bio resonance with parts of the human body (hormonal glands, tissues, organs, ...). This phenomenon has the effect of improving well-being and health.
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The sounds used in CST are specifically selected according to our survey for their beneficial effects, and come from the following species: orcas, humpback whales, false orcas, dolphins, and sperm whales,
The cetosonotherapy is applied in addition of the allopathic diagnosis and care of modern medicine and, depending on the technique of care applied, allows to help to:
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relieve the physiological and psychological imbalances,
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maintain one's life force, natural balance and youth,
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regenerate tissues, repair cells and to rejuvenate,
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eliminate toxins,
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prevent the appearance of pathologies by strengthening the immune system,
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relieve some muscle and joint pains (rheumatism), migraines, digestive disorders, ...
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accompany pregnancy (preparation for childbirth), menopause or andropause,
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improve sleep, relaxation, general well-being,
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reduce stress, anxiety, tinnitus, phobias, depressive syndromes, some cases of autism,
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promote concentration,
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increase physical and sports performance (individual and team), and the libido.
Do you think that Cetosonotheraphy is connected to the Cetaceans intelligence?
The orca’s brain is four times larger than humans. Cetosonotheraphy can improve your health, wellbeing, and your levels of energy. And it can increase your mental strength. A human is less sensitive to aging and sickness when exposed to whale sounds. Now scientists are trying to figure out what specific frequencies are healing. Cetosonotheraphy does not take anything from nature, and it can heal humans.
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How did swimming with orcas impact your life or your guest’s life?
When we swim with orcas we use a dry suit or a custom-made wet suit. I personally use a custom-made spearfishing suit 7mm. A dry suit isolates you from the sound and the cold but not the wet suits. Our bodies are made of 70% water. In the water, the sound will travel through our bodies. In the water, the ultra-low frequencies travel well, and we can feel them through our bodies. In the water, we are exposed to sounds more than on land. In the air, sound travels 330 meters per second and in the water, it is 1480 meters per second. That is why the vibration travels through you. In Guadalupe island there is an acoustic engineer who studies humpback whales. In nearby waters of the island, the whales curled a person so it could make the sounds go around them.
What can we do as youth to help the oceans?
I believe education is the most important one. People are going to be converted to the protection of nature and animals forever, share the knowledge and educate others. Try to minimize the impact of human activities on the planet by doing certain acts such as growing a garden, ban plastic, having eco friendly behavior. It is a race against time so education is very important.
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Is an octopus more intelligent than an orca?
It is difficult to compare the intelligence of an octopus and an orca. There are many types of intelligence: social, environmental, mathematical, etc. Humans are endangering the planet, species that do that are not so intelligent. In My Octopus Teacher we can see how intelligent and lovable these creatures are, we should respect them.
What can you do to stop cetaceans captivity worldwide?
Captivity is like a mafia, they have lawyers, marketing department, they control the information in the breaking news. You have to counter this propaganda with scientific facts. We know that orcas live in the wild longer. Granny, a grandmother orca, lived up to 104 years old in the wild in British Columbia. We do not have enough data to prove that orcas live in the wildlife longer. There are only two methods to measure the age of the orcas in the wild. One method takes the toll of a dead orca Odonto Chronology. The other method takes the dynamics of the orca’s population. We do not have scientific evidence.
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Captivity shows evidence to deteriorate their health: they chew on the concrete tanks and their teeth get worn out, the male’s dorsal fin falls to one side. We need to see the ethics. It is slavery for another species. Counter the propaganda of the park. There is no education they teach to the public about what can justify the captivity. There is no conservation because they do not release any orcas into the wild. The wild population can not have only one member in the wild and each orca costs 1.5 million dollars that is why they do not want to release them.
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What is your most amazing encounter with an orca?
When I rescued a male NP052 in a fishing net in 2005. He came to me to find a way to swim with orcas. It was stressful and tiring because I was free diving. After trying at the end of the second day, I had the feeling that moment was very special to me. The last try he came to me face to face and I went under his belly and cut the fishing net. I was totally connected to him. After I completely cut it we were face to face, and he left to rejoin his family.
