THE TEAM
Jude Abrams is a musician/songwriter and a hardy outdoor adventurer who dives, sails, kayaks and hikes while recording nature sounds. When legendary biologists Roger & Katy Payne released “Songs of the Humpback Whale” in 1970 Jude was enthralled and began playing instruments and singing to any ocean critter who seemed curious. Imagine her excitement when Humpback Whales began staying to feed in the Salish Sea again after 100 years! Since their return in 2015 Jude has been dedicated to developing ways to befriend the returning whales and understand their culture, language and behaviour. Her “citizen science” research has embraced many methodologies from bioacoustic analysis to interspecies communication. The journey continues, inspired by curiosity, love and whale music.
Terry L. Brown has been a lover of water and aquatic wonders since minnows nibbled his toes as a toddler, and he explored lakes and rivers with mask and flippers during his childhood. Later in life he sealed his cameras in waterproof housings and metamorphosed into “The Amphibiographer”, exploring the interface of water, earth and air. His favourite place to be is face down in the water…wearing a mask and snorkel! His skills as a naturalist, cameraman, artist, and graceful freediver, combine with his patience, stillness, and ability to withstand cold water, to equip him to get footage of shy critters no one else has. Terry also brings storytelling, writing, public speaking, and mentoring skills, along with a playful sense of humour, to the mix. Stir in sailing and kayaking experience and he’s all set to welcome humpback whales back to the Salish Sea and record their lives! A childhood dream of petting a whale came true in Baja with the friendly grey whales, and he hopes another lifetime dream to dive with whales is realized soon!
Victoria Gibson adds her creativity to the team through studio recording, graphic and website design, musical input, and producing. She also provides a homey haven in that increasingly crazy city of Vancouver when we need to go there for studio work etc.
Roger Bryenton After graduating in Mechanical Engineering, Roger and 4 friends sailed south and then west across the Pacific ocean. On the journey a whale larger than the sailboat came alongside to visit. After lowering himself into the ocean while hanging on to a rope Roger came eye to eye with the leviathan and experienced a life-changing epiphany of “soul-to-soul” contact. Diving in French Polynesia with manta rays, swimming and playing “chase the leaf” with dolphins in Hawaii, and being greeted by a new-born grey-whale calf in Baja reinforced his commitment to better understand the 70% of the planet that few people experience. Recently, he has worked with Happywhale.com, researching and meeting potential contributors and encouraging them to submit recent and archived photos to expand the identification of humpbacks and better understand their migrations and living needs. He is intrigued by the idea of inter-species communication, especially through music.
Pravallikha Samuthirarajan, certified diver and ocean conservationist. She happily helps the team (whenever available) for branding, marketing and better outreach. Her professional expertise in project management and public policy-making enables her to organize, streamline, and structure Welcoming Whales’ vision and overarching strategy. She intends to be part of the future public presentation tours.
GRATITUDES:
Many local boaters have kept Terry & Jude on the water against all odds in SV Blue Parrot our 1972 C&C. We appreciate their hard won expertise and (mostly) good humour.
Michael Smith was our first sailing mentor
Kim “Sailor” Brown‘s brilliant advice saved our asses and our engine more than once.
Tony Zagwyn, mechanic supreme who called our World War II Atomic4 engine “cute”
Duncan Pollen whose advice was “get a new engine” but fixed the old one anyway.
Jonathan Kapitan the human pretzel, fabricator and mechanic who squeezed into SV Blue Parrot’s engine compartment to grind, glue and screw a water pump in an impossible place.
MORE GRATITUDES:
Donna Lytle composer, artist in multiple media for artistic council
Sari Spencer for allowing SV Blue Parrot to moor in front of her house
Onno Kok for allowing SV Lost Pearl to be a whale research boat for a few weeks in the Sea of Cortes 2022
Vicki “Aireus” Westfall for dedicating SV Rhiannon to recording whalesong in the SOC in March 2022