| We start at the surface. Our whale is getting ready to | | | | bottom. She is swimming steadily (or gliding - new |
| go hunting. Her hunting grounds are where the squid | | | | research indicates that many cetaceans, and other |
| and other tasty sea creatures are bountiful. | | | | diving marine mammals, glide more than swim when |
| | | | they are going down) at 3.5 miles per hour (5.6 km/hr). |
| If our whale has just come up from a dive she first | | | | This is a fast walking pace for humans. It is probably |
| spends 10 minutes or more clearing her lungs, blowing | | | | the most efficient speed for the whale. It is important |
| a breath in and out every 12 seconds. She's getting rid | | | | to be efficient now. Swimming too fast would waste |
| of old carbon dioxide from the last dive and loading up | | | | oxygen. Too slow would waste time |
| with fresh oxygen. She's got to store up a lot of | | | | Down and down at 1.5 meters per second. It takes |
| oxygen because she will be holding her breath for the | | | | over a minute to go as deep as a football field. After 3 |
| next 45 to 60 minutes. Most of the excess oxygen for | | | | long minutes we are 270 meters (885 feet) below the |
| the next dive will be stored in the huge powerful | | | | surface and still a long way to go. It is getting cold and |
| swimming muscles. | | | | dark. There is some light down here but not much. |
| | | | There is almost 3 football fields of water above us. |
| Finally our whale is ready to dive. She takes two more | | | | If our calculations are correct the pressure here is |
| huge gulps of air, points her head down, raises her | | | | 355 pounds per square inch, or 24 atmospheres. |
| flukes (tail fins) out of the water and dives straight | | | | There is over 51,000 pounds pressing on every square |
| down. Now she starts swimming straight for the | | | | foot of the whale's body.. |