The Atlas Obscura Podcast The Farewell Spit
Mar 30, 2026
Daren Grover, general manager at Project Jonah and marine mammal rescue coordinator, led volunteer responses to mass pilot whale strandings at Farewell Spit. He recounts the late-night call, hands-on rescue tactics like cooling and positioning whales, the kilometer-long human chain for refloating, and coping with repeated strandings and new tech for predicting events.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Vacation Call Turned Into Massive Rescue
- Darren Grover got a late-night call about whales stranded at Farewell Spit while on vacation and immediately mobilized a rescue response.
- He led Project Jonah volunteers to the notorious stranding site, expecting routine work that turned into one of New Zealand's largest rescues.
Geography Makes Farewell Spit A Stranding Trap
- Farewell Spit creates a sheltered Golden Bay where shallow, flat water confuses whales and leads them to strand during changing tides.
- The spit’s long narrow sandbar funnels whales into shallow feeding grounds where incoming or outgoing tides can quickly trap them.
Keep Whales Cool But Never Pour Down The Blowhole
- Keep stranded whales cool and avoid pouring water into their blowholes; wait for them to breathe and close the blowhole before wetting their heads.
- Use buckets to mimic ocean conditions but never pour water down the blowhole to prevent drowning.