Osa Peninsula Chronicles

By Brooke Bessesen

In January of 2004, a small group of kayakers paddled alongside the shores of the Osa Peninsula in Golfo Dulce. Sunlight reflected emerald rainforest on the cerulean sea. Oaring their way around a tip of land and into a serene bay, the threesome unexpectedly came upon an enormous Humpback whale. At first delighted, the people quickly realized the fifty-foot leviathan was behaving strangely. It was swimming slowly and in circles. Concerned, the kayakers stopped at a safe distance and watched.

The whale descended. Minutes passed. When at last it rose again, it began breathing heavily as if in pain. Its blowhole gapped open and closed with increasing strain. The kayakers ached with compassion, their fiberglass crafts bobbing over tiny ripples caused by the labored inhalations. What, if anything, could be done to help the distressed whale? Was it dying?

Suddenly, the water flashed crimson. Great plumes of blood swelled from the behemoth as it drew a final jagged breath and slipped below the surface.

Peering down at the black form, the kayakers saw an odd movement twist the depths and, moments later, a small wrinkled mass surged upward and broke the water’s surface. A newborn calf—pushed into the daylight by its mother for its first sweet breath of air. The kayakers had witnessed the birth of a Humpback!

When one of the men told me this story several years after its occurrence his eyes still sparkled with the magic of it. Indeed, whales have long inspired reverence in the human heart.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Golfo Dulce ecology is the role it plays in Humpback whale reproduction. Humpbacks are endangered cetaceans scientifically known as Megaptera novaengiae. Travelling abeam the South Pacific seaboard of Costa Rica during the breeding/birthing season, many spend time in the tranquil waters of Golfo Dulce.

But the significance of that embayment goes beyond the safe haven it provides to expectant mothers and their offspring. The waters around the Osa Peninsula are, in fact, the only known place in the world where the paths of Humpback whales from both the northern and southern hemispheres intersect.

All Humpbacks annually migrate from cold feeding waters toward warm equatorial seas more suitable for breeding and birthing. Whales from the northern hemisphere generally arrive in Golfo Dulce during the months of January and February. Humpbacks from southern regions are normally seen from August through October. Although the timing of the two groups does not directly coincide, individuals from either hemisphere may arrive early or lag behind. Therefore, it is possible that males and females from opposite poles occasionally make contact and produce new genetic lines. There is still much to learn, but the cross-over might help ensure healthier populations and increase survival for the whole species.

Humpback mothers, calves and escorting males are frequently seen in Golfo Dulce. They surface and dive, like black stitching sewn across blue fabric, blowing puffy clouds of mist skyward and weaving mysteries we have yet to unravel. These beautiful titans migrate vast distances to partner and bring forth new life in the waters off Costa Rica. Beholding the miracle of a whale’s birth remains an experience few can boast, but may Humpbacks always find natal sanctuary in Golfo Dulce.