The earth is mostly covered by water. We have all learned in school that 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by the oceans, the seas, rivers, and lakes. So it is quite self-explanatory from this statement that there are many uncharted areas of the oceans that we as humans have not been able to explore. Hence there have been loads of incidents of mysterious nature happening in the ocean. This is one such event. As we all know the ocean can be quite scary as it is an unfamiliar place. We as humans cannot live there and so there are so many things we have yet to decipher about it. So much so that even the most learned scientists have some questions about the ocean. Take the case of this marine biologist Nan Hauser who was approached by a giant humpback whale that nudged her around. See what happens…

Learning The Ocean

If you are a fan of the ocean, then a marine biologist’s job would definitely be a dream for you. They get to learn, explore and experience how oceanic living beings function. They get to see first-hand how the aquatic life is like. You must have seen on a channel like ‘National Geographic’ or ‘Discovery’ where these biologists go underwater in order to get a better understanding of how the flora and fauna in the oceans live life. One of the most learned marine biologists Nan Hauser has had a long-term fascination with the whale. She, in fact,act one of the most experienced whale experts. This lady resides in Rarotonga, on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. She has the job of looking after the whales in and around the area she stays. Nan is the principal investigator for the area’s Whale Research Project.

World’s Leading Whale Expert

If you think that her job sounds cool, wait till you hear about what other things she does. Nan has another very incredible job she does that involves whales. The main job of Nan is to do research about the behavior of the whales, their biology, genetics, and their migratory habits. Another job that Hauser does is that she makes films to educate the world about her favorite creatures. She gets to document her favorite animals and present other people who may not be so familiar with whales, the things they need to know. With the help of her films, she gets to teach people the right ways of dealing with whales and what whales usually do in their habitat. It is indeed a very cool job.

Knowing The Species Well

Do you want to hear about one of the most amazing things Nan has ever done? This spectacular woman has helped in transforming the whole of the Cook Islands territorial waters into a whale sanctuary. The whole area is actually an amazing 772,200 square miles. And here’s another thing that she does, she is a Cook Islands Marine Park trustee as well. Now we will never ever question why she is considered one of the most trusted whale experts in the whole world. Looking at all the thing she has done for the betterment of the whale species, Nan’s work is indeed commendable. If you look at her work experience, you cannot deny the fact that she has one impressive resume.

Getting Up Close And Personal

Nan is a lucky lady if you consider the job she does and the place where she stays. It is one of the most convenient places to work in as the Cook Islands is an ideal place for an oceanic researcher to be based. There is a marine sanctuary in the Cook Islands. It is known as Marae Moana and as you may have guessed, is a wonderland of biodiversity. A location is a place where 21 species of dolphins and whales reside and an incredible 600 types of fish are home to. There are also 16 shark species and some endangered turtles present on the island. For a marine biologist who is dedicated to their work, what more could you ask for right? Nan is indeed a lucky woman to be working in such a place where there is such a rich biodiversity.

Just Another Day On The Job

This incident took place on a day like any other. There was no special event that happened and Nan was going about doing her own work. Nan recalls the day as just another day on the job as a marine biologist. She first dived into the waters off Rarotonga, when she then had a whale experience. This came as a surprise as she was not expecting any of this to happen at all. However, she was quite happy because as we have all read, she loves whales very much. As she dived into the ocean, there was a humpback that approached her. Nan explained her encounter with the whale saying “instead of just swimming past me, he came right towards me,” in an interview on January 2018. “And he didn’t stop coming towards me until I was on his head.”

Scary Moment


Whale are huge animals and to be face to face with them would definitely give most of us a big scare. If we have never seen a whale before, imagine being underwater and an animal that is bigger than an elephant comes right towards you. How would that feel? ‘Intimidating’ would not even begin to explain how terrifying this would feel. So like other whales, this leviathan, would weigh about 25 tons and be as long as an incredible 50 feet. It started to roll Hauser around with his enormous frame. With most of her encounters with whales Hauser says she is never too scared of whales. However, this was a different case and she did have fear running through her blood when this happened. It was a haunting case where she felt trapped.