Over the past 35 years, scuba divers and whales have coexisted. watchers have occasionally witnessed humpbacks producing perfect, doughnut-shaped bubble rings whenever people draw near.
Decoding the Humpback Bubble Ring | AI, Whale Communication & Underwater Greetings
The whales do not sing because they have an answer, they sing because they have a song.
~ Gregory Colbert
Rather than the tumults of the bubble net feeding or competitive bursts in mating displays, these rings are gently crafted, often during slow, curious approaches toward swimmers or boats. A recent analysis of 12 such encounters, totaling 39 distinct rings, led researchers from the SETI Institute and UC Davis to propose a bold idea: these majestic cetaceans might be attempting to say “hello” to us with playful underwater “smoke rings,” rather than simply showing off or foraging.
AI Joins the Whale Conversation
While bubble rings hint at visual gestures, advances in artificial intelligence are bringing us closer to decoding the whales’ acoustic language. Projects like the Cetacean Translation Initiative (CETI) harness deep learning to parse the structure of whale vocalizations—clicks, moans, and “codas” that may carry syntax-like patterns. Generative AI models trained on decades of recordings are beginning to identify distinct “words” and “phrases” in both humpback and sperm whale repertoires.
Meanwhile, Earth Species Project teams are working to replicate key calls—such as the humpback “whup,” believed to function as a presence announcement—using neural networks to generate playback sounds that whales themselves will recognize and respond to WIRED.
Beyond Bubble Rings: What Are Humpbacks Saying?
Whales communicate a surprising variety of messages, with different objectives.
Social Coordination: During cooperative bubble net feeding, humpbacks produce patterned sound bursts to organize group maneuvers.
Identity and Dialect: Sperm whales use “codas”—a series of clicks—to convey group identity and possibly individual names.
Emotional State: Complex song sequences in humpbacks shift seasonally, suggesting expressions of mood, location, or mating intent.
AI analyses have revealed that these vocal sequences exhibit repetition, variation, and even regional “dialects,” much like human languages
Researchers are now mapping these patterns to behaviors, exploring whether certain cadences signal excitement, aggression, or curiosity.
Can We Answer Back?
Early experiments have already flirted with two-way exchanges. Off the Alaskan coast, Dr. Brenda McCowan and her team engaged a whale named “Twain” in a 20-minute back. and forth, playing synthesized contact calls through underwater speakers and receiving responsive vocal returns—an emergent “dialogue” that mimicked conversational turn-taking
As AI models refine their understanding of call contexts, we may soon be able to craft playback sequences that carry our own “messages”, whether a friendly greeting, an invitation to share a feeding ground, or a simple question echoing through the blue.
Looking Ahead
The notion that humpbacks could be crafting bubble rings to catch our eye reminds us that intelligence and playfulness are not solely human traits. By combining decades of field observations with cutting-edge AI, we stand on the brink of genuine interspecies communication. In the coming years, we may not only witness their graceful rings but also exchange ideas in clicks and moans—answering their ancient songs with our own.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope on OMTimes!
Visit Our Astrology Store for Personalized Reports
About the Author
Ministry Earth is a collective Awareness-Raising, Perception-Building Initiative from Humanity Healing International, Cathedral of the Soul Educational outreaches created to introduce the perspective of Ethical Consciousness and Nonhuman Personhood to its Animal & Eco Ministries. Ministry Earth is a Service-Oriented Initiative, and its Magazine is a Copyrighted Publication of iSpirit Media and Publishing, Inc., Broadcasting and Publishing House. https://ministryearth.com/
OMTimes is the premier Spiritually Conscious Magazine. Follow Us On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest, and Youtube
