A Close Encounter with the Real Moby Dick
For a good number of travelers, the ultimate bucket-list experience is swimming with whales. There\u2019s something\xa0about the idea of being in the water with these enormous creatures that calls to people. And if you talk to people who have swum with whales, chances are they\u2019ll tell you it changed their lives. This is true even for veteran adventurers who\u2019ve seen it all\u2014people like Outside contributing editor Rowan Jacobsen, whose past assignments include a journey to the Amazon to seek out the source of the world\u2019s greatest chocolate. Last fall, Jacobsen joined a small crew in the Caribbean that was filming and studying sperm whales by getting in the water with them. Though he had no delusions that swimming with whales would heal him or transform him, he was certain that he would learn a thing or two\xa0from being very, very close to these legendary giants of the sea. And he did.\n\n\nThis episode of the Outside Podcast is brought to you by Avocado Green Mattress, makers of 100 percent\xa0organic-certified mattresses\u2014and more products, like their new meditation pillow. Visit avocadogreenmattress.com to learn more. And to save $175 dollars on any mattress, use the code OUTSIDE175 at checkout.