Sperm whales are not native to the North Sea. It is simply to shallow. But sometimes they loose their way and end up on a beach like this one; on the island of Vlieland. It does not happen that very often and according to the law they have to be disposed. A pilot program has been developed to transport whales like this to places where they can decompose naturally. But a decision about that has not been made yet and this whale was chopped up with some parts saved for further research by scientists. I attended with my camera man for the regional news and made some photo's. This is the first installment. More photo's will follow in a new post.

Cheers,

Remco

1. On the first day they tried to move the whale further up the beach


2.


3.


4.


5. And this is where this giant ended up on the end of the day.

[ktbartosik]

"Lovely" shots. Good to have perspective on its size using people and tractors and even then hard to imagine. While not happy about it's death, must be very interesting to witness. Looking forward to the next in the series!

[SimonC]

The photos tell a sad story. Thanks for sharing.

[ffking]

such magnificent animals - such a shame to see one end this way - but very nice documentation - that last (for now) pic is a story all in itself, and a fine image

[35mmfilmfan]

One was recently beached on the North Norfolk coast (no pictures - lockdown). However, it appears that many of these beachings occur close to offshore wind farms, and there is an hypothesis that low-level vibrations under water, caused by the turbines, are disorienting the animals.

[ToddK]

Excellent series of photos. Sad to see such a magnificent creature come to its end like this.

[Sailor]

Fascinating series, Remco - but as others have said: a sad story.

Jer

[Apet-Sure]

That last shot is a good example of the saying 'One picture is worth a thousand words'. Excellent photo journalism.

[RoxnDox]

Sad, but intersting at the same time. Thankfully no dynamite was involved (yes, yes, I know I have a somewhat twisted sense of humour)

[Fries]

"Lovely" shots. Good to have perspective on its size using people and tractors and even then hard to imagine. While not happy about it's death, must be very interesting to witness. Looking forward to the next in the series!

Thanks! The whale on its own in such a big landscape doesn't relate the size of it that well. And as a reporter the interaction between the people and the whale was where the news was. The new photo's will be rather bloody.

The photos tell a sad story. Thanks for sharing.

Simon, thanks for commenting!

such magnificent animals - such a shame to see one end this way - but very nice documentation - that last (for now) pic is a story all in itself, and a fine image

Thanks Graham! Everything has a beginning and a end... Even for these magnificent animals. I have gotten lots of nice feedback about the last photo from my colleagues. I have reprocessed the photo's before showing them here. On the job I used one of my iPhones for that job.

One was recently beached on the North Norfolk coast (no pictures - lockdown). However, it appears that many of these beachings occur close to offshore wind farms, and there is an hypothesis that low-level vibrations under water, caused by the turbines, are disorienting the animals.

Thanks Tony! I believe more whales than one have been beached on the English coast. Because of that experts warned that there was a possibility that more sperm whales could end up on the Dutch coast too. I was send to this beaching with that in mind. We do have a lock down too but there is no formal limit on travel inside the Netherlands but it is frowned upon when you travel for leisure for long distances. Journalists have some privileges as our work has been deemed essential. The situation the UK is in right now, is really though and serves as a warning for our country. I wish you and you're loved ones get trough this save and sound! I have not looked into wind turbines having an influence on the beaching of whales. But I know of broader concerns over the impact of them on sea life. Science will have to provide an answer as in the debate about the need for renewable energy sources misleading information is shared from time to time...

Excellent series of photos. Sad to see such a magnificent creature come to its end like this.

Thanks Todd! After I took that last photo and stood alongside this once magnificent sea mammal I felt a bid sad too.

Fascinating series, Remco - but as others have said: a sad story.

Jer

Jer, thanks! It is the second time I have been to a stranded sperm whale. The first one died within minutes after I arrived. It was the first and only time I've worked 27 hours in one go without sleep...

That last shot is a good example of the saying 'One picture is worth a thousand words'. Excellent photo journalism.

Thanks Kevin! Most colleagues use their iPhones for photo's. I can't imagine going to something like this without something better with me. Most of the time I work without a camera man and have to bring a video camera with tripod which severely limits the amount of other gear I can take with me. When I took that last picture the last light of the day was excellent and in next to me locals were crouching down to take one last picture of the whale. I opted for a higher viewpoint to get the machinery into the frame together with the drag marks in the sand to complete the story. I cropped a little bit because on person was half in the frame of the picture.

Sad, but intersting at the same time. Thankfully no dynamite was involved (yes, yes, I know I have a somewhat twisted sense of humour)

Ha! One colleague found a famous video of the one time this was tried with disgusting but also comic consequences and was kind enough to send it to me. I think I already saw it somewhere in the 'infamous' satire thread about not buying a K-3...

[lesmore49]

One was recently beached on the North Norfolk coast (no pictures - lockdown). However, it appears that many of these beachings occur close to offshore wind farms, and there is an hypothesis that low-level vibrations under water, caused by the turbines, are disorienting the animals.

Interesting hypothesis. I wonder....

Sad to see, but that is the cycle of life. That last photograph is exceptional.

Good that the story was covered . The 150-450 lens' versatility, given the very good reporting photography was the right lens for this series. It enabled you to get close to the activity, but at the same time, you were able to keep a distance...to allow the workers to do their job.

[Michail_P]

So this is how the giants pass... I love the last one. So nicely covered story, well done.

[Fries]

Interesting hypothesis. I wonder....

Sad to see, but that is the cycle of life. That last photograph is exceptional.

Good that the story was covered . The 150-450 lens' versatility, given the very good reporting photography was the right lens for this series. It enabled you to get close to the activity, but at the same time, you were able to keep a distance...to allow the workers to do their job.

Thanks Les! They were working with sharp knives the second day and heavy equipment and were not keen of other persons too close to the action. Which I can understand! When I left my house that morning I only knew that the whale was beached on this island. It takes one and a half hour by ferry to get there and a half hour with a 4x4. I have reported on a similar incident years ago and the DFA150-40 looked like the right tool for the job. The FA31 is my go to lens with the K-1 for reporting. If I need a lighter set-up I take the K-3 with the DA21.

So this is how the giants pass... I love the last one. So nicely covered story, well done.

Michail, thank you! Yes, the last one was special. They had just towed the whale higher up the beach and the light on the end of the day was fantastic. I started out with photography because I wanted to document the wonderful landscapes of Northern Norway on my holiday's and continued with that genre. In that last photo I was able to tap into my experience with landscape photography I think.

[volley]

Excellent work Remco (also true for your "part 2" series).
As much as I hate to see this ... it shows how much also such documentary series benefit from great composition skills and sound technique.
Thanks for sharing!

[Fries]

Excellent work Remco (also true for your "part 2" series).
As much as I hate to see this ... it shows how much also such documentary series benefit from great composition skills and sound technique.
Thanks for sharing!

Much appreciated Norbert! The first instance I had to report on a big whale beached was on the nearby island of Terschelling years ago. Then a reporter from the biggest newspaper of the region and a very experienced, talented and price winning press agency photographer were with me that day. When you work alongside such a photographer and other talents trough the years you learn to be humble about your own ability to tell a story trough photography and video. Another example was the beginning of the Covid situation for our small regional outfit. Beforehand I was a bit smug about my ability to produce good imaginary and thought I stood out in that way. With Covid all our reporters were freed from their normal work to cover this story which gave them the opportunity to tell stories of real consequence. And boy did they do that! The talent of my colleagues really stood out those first months. It was humbling in beautiful way.

The lesson I learned, was that much of good press photography is depended on having the opportunity to practice your craft in moments that capture the public imagination the most. Because of my seniority I just have more of those opportunities than my junior colleagues. Also because I have been given the opportunity to specialize in reporting on nature and landscape in my region. I am glad I was able to produce some good images this time and will work hard to get even better at it.