{"id":576569,"date":"2026-08-06T13:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/576569\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T13:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:32:10","slug":"you-can-hear-them-talking-to-each-other-through-your-hull-sailor-alone-at-sea-for-a-week-then-this-happens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/576569\/","title":{"rendered":"“You can hear them talking to each other through your hull.\u201d Sailor alone at sea for a week. Then this happens"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sailor who is attempting to complete a solo voyage of the Arctic Ocean has shared footage of some surprise guests that joined him on his journey: a group of\u00a0pilot whales<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Matt Rutherford, founder of the\u00a0Ocean Research Project<\/a>, was one week into his 10,000-mile expedition when he saw the pod. He\u2019s attempting to become the first person in the world to complete a solo, unassisted circumnavigation of the Arctic Ocean without stopping.<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0video<\/a>, Rutherford sails through the grey fog before spinning the camera around to show the inquisitive animals beside his vessel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Matt Rutherford encounters a pod of pilot whales during his attempt to complete a solo voyage of the Arctic Ocean. Credit: Matt Rutherford, Ocean Research Project<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last 20 years of sailing in the ocean have seen a wide variety of whales,\u201d says Rutherford. \u201cBut there are no whales that are more curious than pilot whales.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pilot whales \u2013 which are actually a type of dolphin<\/a> \u2013 swim calmly alongside his boat, their fins carving through the water as they come up for air.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They can also be incredibly playful, he says: \u201cPilot whales will follow behind you for hours playing in your wake like dolphins. When you go inside the boat you can hear them talking to each other through your hull.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pilot whales can usually be seen in the waters around southern and western Greenland<\/a>, he says: \u201cWhen you get to northern Greenland the pilot whales go away and you start seeing narwhal<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since this sighting, he has continued his voyage while sharing regular updates on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and has now been travelling alone for more than 40 days. He\u2019s doing this to raise awareness of the rapid loss of ice in the Arctic region.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The fact that I can attempt this voyage at all is because there is less ice,” he says in a press release. “And there is less ice because the planet is warmer. The Arctic is changing faster than anywhere else on Earth.”<\/p>\n

Video and image credit: Matt Rutherford, Ocean Research Project<\/a><\/p>\n

More amazing wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n