The New York Times Op-Docs and Annapurna Pictures are presenting a virtual-reality film, “The Click Effect,” about the free-diving researchers in this Opinion essay. To view it, download the NYT VR app on your mobile device, if you don’t already have it. (Go here for Android, and here for iPhone.)
I HELD MY BREATH AND SWAM DEEPER, 10, 20, 30 feet. I heard a thunderous crack, then another, so loud they vibrated my chest. Below my kicking feet, two sperm whales emerged from the shadows, each as long as a school bus.
The cracking was coming from the whales; it’s a form of sonar called echolocation that species of dolphins, whales and other cetaceans use to “see” underwater. With these vocalizations, called clicks, the whales were snapping three-dimensional images of my body, and those of my diving companions, from the inside out — scanning us to see if we were a threat, or if we were food.
Dive underwater to swim with whales and dolphins in virtual reality. Download the app on:
* App Store
* Google Play
Below is a sound recording of the application.
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Source: NY Times