11 ms·

Pelorus Jack

187 points by asimjalis 6y ago

yesenadam 6y ago
Thank you. What an amazing story!
krthr 6y ago
What a beautiful story! And as always the human being leaving his mark. One shot :(
quijoteuniv 6y ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/dolphinconspiracy/ https://www.reddit.com/r/dolphinconspiracy/
aetherspawn 6y ago
I'm waiting for someone to come into this thread and say the dolphin was just doing it for food. Some can not accept that dolphins are more sophisticated than some humans, on the basis they are smart and maybe bored.
- usrusr 6y ago
  Dolphin equivalent of a trainspotter. Doing it for food would be objectively intelligent.
  - def8cefe 6y ago
    >It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much – the wheel, New York, wars, and so on – whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man – for precisely the same reasons. -HG2G, Douglas Adams
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
d_t_w 6y ago
Pelorus Bridge is the most beautiful swimming spot if you're ever in that part of the world. The bridge runs over the river which runs into the sound that Pelorus Jack was named after. https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/marlborough/places/pelorus-bridge-scenic-reserve/ https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/ma...
- lemming 6y ago
  This is absolutely true. I'm lucky to have it 45 minutes down the road from where I live, we visit frequently. It's gorgeous. (Hi d_t_w!)
  - d_t_w 6y ago
    Eyoo!
- Intermernet 6y ago
  Note to the unwary: If you ever find yourself in that part of the world, be prepared for everything you see to be accurately describable as "the most beautiful". The entire south island of New Zealand is "the most beautiful"!
  - mkl 6y ago
    Heh. It looks like ordinary NZ bush to me! I'm not sure I'd say the entire South Island though, as quite a bit of it is boring farmland. Here are the places in the article: https://www.google.com/maps/@-41.051886,173.738907,51935m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-41.051886,173.738907,51935m/da... Pelorus Sound is in the middle and extends down to Havelock. French Pass is at the top. There's not nearly as much regular boat traffic through either anymore, as most inter-island traffic takes the big Interislander ferry which comes in to Picton (just south of map), and then there's a road to Nelson (over to the west).
saagarjha 6y ago
I find it quite sad that multiple people have tried to kill it :(
vore 6y ago
Unfortunately, as often is with these things, the truth might be less exciting that the legend: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/10/pelorus-jack-hero-dolphin-guided-ships-dangerous-water-early-20th-century/ http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/10/pelorus-jack... :( However, if you'd like to savor the magic, the truth and the legend can be one and the same: who knows what really happened in 1909, after all :)
- wolfhumble 6y ago
  Never read about the true incident after watching a "historical movie". :-)
- tangus 6y ago
  On the other hand, it makes the move to protect him more commendable. It wasn't just out of self-interest.
- D13Fd 6y ago
  Happily, nothing in that article really contradicted the Wikipedia page (or at least my reading of it). I took “guided” to be a kind of romanticized “swam alongside,” not that the ships were using the dolphin as literal navigational aid. The article actually confirms the behavior.
- jszymborski 6y ago
  Is it less wonderful that, in moments of great danger and fear, this dolphin was a symbol of joy and good fortune for the sailors on the ship? It's pretty magical to me to think that a dolphin, just doing dolphin things and playing in the wake of a giant wooden sea vessel, was enough to see those sailors through life-and-death situations. Little reminders of good in the world, regardless of whether the reminders themselves are aware of it, can really change things for the better for a whole lot of people.
presiozo 6y ago
The most brilliant part: Occupation - Dolphin
shirak_untel 6y ago
>In 1904, someone aboard the SS Penguin tried to shoot Pelorus Jack with a rifle. Despite the attempt on his life, Pelorus Jack continued to help ships. According to folklore, however, he no longer helped the Penguin, which shipwrecked in Cook Strait in 1909. If this is true, it's the most amazing thing. Imagine a dolphin having a grudge with a ship
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- coding_lobster 6y ago
  It seems too good to be true in my opinon.
  - Sharlin 6y ago
    Not that far-fetched, though. Corvids, for example, are known to hold grudges against specific humans who have done them wrong.
    - YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
      And seaguls also. I'm convinced that the seagul that attacked me with an um air-dropped er weapon was the same one that I shooed away from my window on the same day one springtime. Bloody birds.
    - eitland 6y ago
      A friend of mine had a parrot that greeted me and some friends as we arrived. Shortly after arriving on of my friends started making faces towards it and immediately it tried to attack him, but left him alone for the rest of the night. As we left the parrot said bye to everyone but him. A week or two later we came back. My friend had forgotten. The parrot had not and immediately attacked as he came close :-)
- itronitron 6y ago
  You might be interested in the story of the whaling ship Essex which was sunk by a Sperm whale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_(whaleship) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_(whaleship)
maxmouchet 6y ago
There is a similar, and fascinating, story of killer whales co-operating with humans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whales_of_Eden,_New_South_Wales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whales_of_Eden,_New_Sou...
- boudin 6y ago
  There is also this which is a bit similar: https://www.livescience.com/20027-dolphins-work-fishermen.html https://www.livescience.com/20027-dolphins-work-fishermen.ht...
lowdose 6y ago
More about dolphins in this youtube video with dr. Laurance Doyle at 30 minutes. In it languages are compared and apparently language dolphins follow Zipf law. https://youtu.be/H30NipTkA5s https://youtu.be/H30NipTkA5s https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipf%27s_law https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipf%27s_law
gorgoiler 6y ago
Of interest: the first link in the article defines fl. <date range> as a standard syntax meaning the dates in which someone was know to be alive and flourishing. I did not know this until today. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floruit https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floruit
- bdefore 6y ago
  No one wins a flds medal after 40.
gHosts 6y ago
Almost more interesting than Pelorus Jack, and is currently observable is French Pass, the hazard he helped them navigate through... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Aumiti_/_French_Pass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Aumiti_/_French_Pass > The pass is 500 metres (1,600 ft) across, but the main navigation channel (the "throat" or "narrows") contracts down to only 100 metres (330 ft) with a 20-metre (66 ft) deep shoaling region. Most of the rest of the pass is broken reef.[8] > On one side is Cook Strait with a tidal range up to 2 metres (6.6 ft), and on the other side is Tasman Bay with a tidal range up to 4 metres (13 ft).[9] This can result in substantial pressure gradients across the pass, complicated by a phase or time difference of about 25 minutes between the high tides on either side. Peak flow in the throat of the pass is around 4 metres per second (13 ft/s).[10] > Near to the pass are deep holes where strong vertical flows can occur.[11] In 2000, student divers taking part in a drift dive during the local ebb flow were separated from their surface float and caught in a whirlpool. This dragged them into "Jacob's Hole", a 68-metre (223 ft)[12] deep depression south west of the pass. The depth of this descent resulted in multiple fatalities. The group appears to have been drawn deep into the hole and then returned to the surface again. A dive computer record of one of the survivors show a depth of up to 89-metre (292 ft). According to the coroner's report, the accident occurred on a falling tide, so the current was flowing from the south west to the north east.[13][14]
echelon 6y ago
I'm a little late to this thread, but the French Pass looks like no cake walk to navigate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2nCrjDRJb4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2nCrjDRJb4

Pelorus Jack

187 points by asimjalis 6y ago

yesenadam 6y ago

Thank you. What an amazing story!

krthr 6y ago

What a beautiful story! And as always the human being leaving his mark. One shot :(

quijoteuniv 6y ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/dolphinconspiracy/ https://www.reddit.com/r/dolphinconspiracy/

aetherspawn 6y ago

I'm waiting for someone to come into this thread and say the dolphin was just doing it for food. Some can not accept that dolphins are more sophisticated than some humans, on the basis they are smart and maybe bored.

usrusr 6y ago
Dolphin equivalent of a trainspotter. Doing it for food would be objectively intelligent.
- def8cefe 6y ago
  >It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much – the wheel, New York, wars, and so on – whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man – for precisely the same reasons. -HG2G, Douglas Adams
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

d_t_w 6y ago

Pelorus Bridge is the most beautiful swimming spot if you're ever in that part of the world. The bridge runs over the river which runs into the sound that Pelorus Jack was named after. https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/marlborough/places/pelorus-bridge-scenic-reserve/ https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/ma...

lemming 6y ago
This is absolutely true. I'm lucky to have it 45 minutes down the road from where I live, we visit frequently. It's gorgeous. (Hi d_t_w!)
- d_t_w 6y ago
  Eyoo!
Intermernet 6y ago
Note to the unwary: If you ever find yourself in that part of the world, be prepared for everything you see to be accurately describable as "the most beautiful". The entire south island of New Zealand is "the most beautiful"!
- mkl 6y ago
  Heh. It looks like ordinary NZ bush to me! I'm not sure I'd say the entire South Island though, as quite a bit of it is boring farmland. Here are the places in the article: https://www.google.com/maps/@-41.051886,173.738907,51935m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-41.051886,173.738907,51935m/da... Pelorus Sound is in the middle and extends down to Havelock. French Pass is at the top. There's not nearly as much regular boat traffic through either anymore, as most inter-island traffic takes the big Interislander ferry which comes in to Picton (just south of map), and then there's a road to Nelson (over to the west).

saagarjha 6y ago

I find it quite sad that multiple people have tried to kill it :(

vore 6y ago

Unfortunately, as often is with these things, the truth might be less exciting that the legend: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/10/pelorus-jack-hero-dolphin-guided-ships-dangerous-water-early-20th-century/ http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/10/pelorus-jack... :( However, if you'd like to savor the magic, the truth and the legend can be one and the same: who knows what really happened in 1909, after all :)

wolfhumble 6y ago
Never read about the true incident after watching a "historical movie". :-)
tangus 6y ago
On the other hand, it makes the move to protect him more commendable. It wasn't just out of self-interest.
D13Fd 6y ago
Happily, nothing in that article really contradicted the Wikipedia page (or at least my reading of it). I took “guided” to be a kind of romanticized “swam alongside,” not that the ships were using the dolphin as literal navigational aid. The article actually confirms the behavior.
jszymborski 6y ago
Is it less wonderful that, in moments of great danger and fear, this dolphin was a symbol of joy and good fortune for the sailors on the ship? It's pretty magical to me to think that a dolphin, just doing dolphin things and playing in the wake of a giant wooden sea vessel, was enough to see those sailors through life-and-death situations. Little reminders of good in the world, regardless of whether the reminders themselves are aware of it, can really change things for the better for a whole lot of people.

presiozo 6y ago

The most brilliant part: Occupation - Dolphin

shirak_untel 6y ago

>In 1904, someone aboard the SS Penguin tried to shoot Pelorus Jack with a rifle. Despite the attempt on his life, Pelorus Jack continued to help ships. According to folklore, however, he no longer helped the Penguin, which shipwrecked in Cook Strait in 1909. If this is true, it's the most amazing thing. Imagine a dolphin having a grudge with a ship

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
coding_lobster 6y ago
It seems too good to be true in my opinon.
- Sharlin 6y ago
  Not that far-fetched, though. Corvids, for example, are known to hold grudges against specific humans who have done them wrong.
  - YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
    And seaguls also. I'm convinced that the seagul that attacked me with an um air-dropped er weapon was the same one that I shooed away from my window on the same day one springtime. Bloody birds.
  - eitland 6y ago
    A friend of mine had a parrot that greeted me and some friends as we arrived. Shortly after arriving on of my friends started making faces towards it and immediately it tried to attack him, but left him alone for the rest of the night. As we left the parrot said bye to everyone but him. A week or two later we came back. My friend had forgotten. The parrot had not and immediately attacked as he came close :-)
itronitron 6y ago
You might be interested in the story of the whaling ship Essex which was sunk by a Sperm whale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_(whaleship) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_(whaleship)

maxmouchet 6y ago

There is a similar, and fascinating, story of killer whales co-operating with humans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whales_of_Eden,_New_South_Wales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whales_of_Eden,_New_Sou...

boudin 6y ago
There is also this which is a bit similar: https://www.livescience.com/20027-dolphins-work-fishermen.html https://www.livescience.com/20027-dolphins-work-fishermen.ht...

lowdose 6y ago

More about dolphins in this youtube video with dr. Laurance Doyle at 30 minutes. In it languages are compared and apparently language dolphins follow Zipf law. https://youtu.be/H30NipTkA5s https://youtu.be/H30NipTkA5s https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipf%27s_law https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipf%27s_law

gorgoiler 6y ago

Of interest: the first link in the article defines fl. <date range> as a standard syntax meaning the dates in which someone was know to be alive and flourishing. I did not know this until today. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floruit https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floruit

bdefore 6y ago
No one wins a flds medal after 40.

gHosts 6y ago

Almost more interesting than Pelorus Jack, and is currently observable is French Pass, the hazard he helped them navigate through... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Aumiti_/_French_Pass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Aumiti_/_French_Pass > The pass is 500 metres (1,600 ft) across, but the main navigation channel (the "throat" or "narrows") contracts down to only 100 metres (330 ft) with a 20-metre (66 ft) deep shoaling region. Most of the rest of the pass is broken reef.[8] > On one side is Cook Strait with a tidal range up to 2 metres (6.6 ft), and on the other side is Tasman Bay with a tidal range up to 4 metres (13 ft).[9] This can result in substantial pressure gradients across the pass, complicated by a phase or time difference of about 25 minutes between the high tides on either side. Peak flow in the throat of the pass is around 4 metres per second (13 ft/s).[10] > Near to the pass are deep holes where strong vertical flows can occur.[11] In 2000, student divers taking part in a drift dive during the local ebb flow were separated from their surface float and caught in a whirlpool. This dragged them into "Jacob's Hole", a 68-metre (223 ft)[12] deep depression south west of the pass. The depth of this descent resulted in multiple fatalities. The group appears to have been drawn deep into the hole and then returned to the surface again. A dive computer record of one of the survivors show a depth of up to 89-metre (292 ft). According to the coroner's report, the accident occurred on a falling tide, so the current was flowing from the south west to the north east.[13][14]

echelon 6y ago

I'm a little late to this thread, but the French Pass looks like no cake walk to navigate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2nCrjDRJb4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2nCrjDRJb4