First Person Singular


Getting in deep


Greg Marshall, 51 // Inventor, marine biologist, National Geographic


INTERVIEW BY KK OTTESEN There’s really no reason for me to still be here today: I had an incredible experience with a sperm whale that could so easily have gone another way. I was diving, fi lming, in the Azores, and I was by myself. The boat had dropped me off 200 meters in front of this pod of sperm whales and then gone away so we wouldn’t disturb the animals. Anyway, this pod comes toward me — eight or 10 animals that were 30, 40, 50 feet long. They get to within about 15 feet of me and started diving; they were going to avoid me. And just as they were about to disappear 100, 150 feet below me, one of them turned around, and this thing just emerged at light-speed, coming right at me like a Titan missile. I was all alone in the middle of nowhere, and there was nothing that I could do to protect myself from this 50- foot animal. I heard my heart pounding: BOOM! At what (Continued on Page 5)


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Who Knew Name this local landmark Weighs about four tons + Made of bronze + Features a


figure holding papers inscribed with equations + Sits in a grove on steps of white granite + Located on the National Academy of Sciences grounds + Sculpted by Robert Berks = (Answer: See Page 30)


4 THE WASHINGTON POST MAGAZINE | AUGUST 15, 2010


PHOTOGRAPH BY KK OTTESEN


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