The Grooved Whale Project

  At the 2024 Astrobiology Scientific  Conference, I presented Song of the Curious Alien, a transdisciplinary exploration of whale song as a model for nonhuman and extraterrestrial intelligence. Cosmic pluralism meets the Drake Equation.

 In Alaska with the SETI team in 2021, we engaged in a remarkable 20-minute vocal exchange with a humpback whale named Twain. As coauthor of Conversing with an Alaskan humpback whale (PeerJ 2021), I contributed to the fieldwork, analysis, and methodology, helping interpret the acoustic and emotional dynamics of the playback experiment. 

• 2025 Telus Storyhive Podcast 
• 2024 AbSciCon Winner Non-Fiction Creative Writing
• 2020 African Bioacoustic Conference – Winner Best Presentation from Developed Nation 
• 2001 Grooved Whale NAV Ambient Album of the Year

  Whales and Aliens is an 8-part video podcast series that explores the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) through a radically interdisciplinary lens. 

Whales and Aliens is made possible with the support from TELUS STORYHIVE and will be available for free on TELUS Optic TV April 2026.

  The podcast mission is to inform the search for extraterrestrial life by drawing parallels between whale societies, human civilization, and alien intelligences. Biological SETI is an emerging subfield of SETI and explores how nonhuman cognition might serve as a blueprint for detecting extraterrestrial intelligence. 

  The series features a wide range of disciplines and worldviews to better explore how we might understand life in the universe. Each episode features leading experts and creative thinkers who challenge how we define intelligence, communication, and the very nature of life in the Salish Sea

Since 1999, my fieldwork in Hawai‘i has centered on recording and analyzing humpback whale song  from my kayak—my floating observatory. Over the years, I’ve tracked the evolving structure of whale vocalizations, monitoring changes in phrasing, motif development, and the underlying logic of their progressions. 

 Often battling wind, waves, and unpredictable conditions, I’ve had close encounters with whales that were both humbling and transformative. Some of the most  unforgettable moments have come humpback mothers bringing their calves directly beneath me— lingering, as if offering a quiet gesture of trust. 

  These intimate experiences have allowed me to witness the song’s annual revolutions and subtle   compressions firsthand and the interplay between the whales as they go about their daily lives, deepening my understanding of their intelligence, culture and adaptive complexity.  

 During my field seasons in Alaska, I’ve joined scientific expeditions focused on the rich feeding grounds where humpback whales congregate in remarkable densities. Amid the dramatic fjords and glacial waters, I’ve documented feeding calls and observed the intricate choreography of bubble-net feeding—a cooperative hunting strategy that reveals astonishing social coordination and acoustic signaling. 

Photos taken under Permit NMFS 26663

Despite the sheer number of whales in these northern waters, I’ve come to recognize and connect with a few individuals over time. Their unique behaviors, vocal signatures, and social roles have offered a more personal lens into the lives of these giants. These relationships, forged through repeated encounters and long hours of observation, have added emotional depth to the scientific rigor of my work, reminding me that behind every data point is a sentient being navigating a complex marine world.

  Humpback whales continue to challenge and expand our understanding of non-human intelligence. Their use of tools, most notably in bubble-net feeding, is a striking example of strategic behavior and social coordination.   

Beyond feeding, humpbacks exhibit complex vocal learning, long-term social bonds, and a capacity for innovation.  The more time I spend with them the more I see not just instinct, but intention and intelligence.