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If your
body,
your mind,
or your thoughts
are restricted that
you can't express yourself naturally,
or behave naturally,
I regard it as constraint.
During your lifetime,
it's inevitable for you to be restricted
in all sorts of circumstances.
Restricted by society.
Restricted by reality.
Restricted by age.
Restricted by body.
I've always admired some creatures.
I learned it from my observation on the Nature.
In
Restricted circumstances,
these creatures would become so small,
so weak that
they remain motionless,
waiting quietly for the next chance.
As soon as they get the chance,
they immediately
revive and thrive,
changing beyond recognition.
I expect myself to be quieter than others.
But when I'm active, I would be
stronger than others.
Get some fish.
Any fish?
Yesterday's catch?
Come have a look.
Yes?
Skip jack tuna?
No skip jack tuna.
What do you have?
I'll take this one.
This one?
Can you keep it refrigerated for me? -Yes.
I need to go to the sea.
I'll be back later.
When I was little,
I wanted to be a lighthouse keeper.
Or a forest ranger.
I hoped that
I could work in a place where there was no one else.
I had learning difficulties when I was little.
I mean
language difficulties.
So I didn't get on with people.
I got laughed at when I spoke.
So probably because of that
I didn't like
being with people.
During the time I went fishing,
I met a few sea captains.
So
I just asked a captain
if I could work for him.
That's how I became a fisherman.
Sometimes I listened to the old captains telling stories.
Sometimes they're my own fishing experiences.
Then I thought I would
write them down.
Not to become a writer.
But I feel that it's my life
and I want to
tell more people about what I see today.
About what I see at sea.
I want to tell more people
how quiet the world feels when you're at sea.
We say you can't make reservations with the sea.
But it's worth looking forward to.
In other words, we suggest that
you should lower your expectation
and then you'll be more satisfied.
If you think it's good to see the sea,
then you'll be a hundred per cent happy.
If you think it's good to be seasick,
then you'll be two hundred per cent happy!
That's it.
Okay, let's go to the docks. Thanks!
Mind the steps.
I'm very happy to go on the tour with you.
I'm Liao Hung-Chi, your guide today.
The boat has left the dock.
Please choose and stay on a spot.
You notice the colour of the sea water ahead?
It looks very different.
The water in the Kuroshio Current...
The further it goes...
The closer it gets to the mainstream,
the darker it looks.
It's not because it's dirty.
It's because it's so clean that
the sun shines straight through it
and goes all the way down.
In other words, the colour gets swallowed up.
In your one o'clock...
In your one o'clock, around fifty metres...
There is a pod of...
They're getting closer.
Swimming towards the prow...
They're right next to the boat.
Don't just shout "wow".
Aim your camera at it.
And it's yours.
Now you know why they're called "spinner dolphins".
Among all dolphins,
only they can do this.
Spinning like that.
Are they just playing?
Or playing with the water?
I don't know.
The experts come up with many theories.
But till now none could be confirmed.
Why on earth
do they spin like that?
I think the most reasonable explanation is
within a family,
many individuals live together.
If you want to stand out in the group,
you must do something different.
The most unreasonable explanation is
their skin is itchy.
During my fishermen's days,
I often saw them.
Once our boat was surrounded by thousands of dolphins.
Back then when I told the story on land
no one believed the large number of
cetaceans in the sea off the east coast of Taiwan.
So when I had my own fishing boat,
I gave up fishing.
I thought I'd form a team
to record them at sea,
proving their existence.
Bravo!
It's a bit dented in the middle.
Okay, it's done!
You're worried that it might snap?
Worried? No matter what you do, it'll snap.
Think about it, okay?
After exposing in the sun and the wind, it'll snap.
No matter how you tie it.
So hot!
Floating platforms
are used only
on the lake
or in the harbour.
No one has ever put it
on the sea.
Sea waves are completely different
from those on the lake or in the harbour.
So we can expect that at sea
the screw in the middle will be constantly
being pulled and twisted hard
because
the waves never stop.
So I wonder if the screw could last ten days.
The problem we have is
according to the regulations in Taiwan
when you take any floating platform out
to the sea,
you need a license for it.
So we need to apply for the fishing license for this platform.
Taiwan is an island
surrounded by the sea.
It shows how important the sea is to us.
In the past, due to all sorts of reasons,
like the long martial law period,
the hostility between Taiwan and China and
our ancestors' sad memories of crossing the strait
make us fear the sea.
We lack ocean education.
We're even threatened at school.
They tell us that the sea is very dangerous.
So now in Taiwan
we're collectively frightened of the sea.
Pull!
Pull the platform forward!
Row, row, row!
We're an island country.
We're so good at building boats.
Why can't we satisfy our longing for
going out to the sea
on a floating platform?
We can't do that in Taiwan
because the law forbids it.
It's a very unreasonable phenomenon on an island.
We've no longing for the sea.
We collectively turn our backs to the sea.
The shores become marginalised corners.
So the shores are where
you see the most rubbish,
the most polluted by heavy industries,
the most landfill sites,
and the most tetrapods.
All these explain that
on this island
we collectively turn our backs to the sea
and have lost our chances at sea.
So we need to make a breakthrough.
Hello everyone.
At two this afternoon
in conference room 318.
Mr. Ray Chin is invited to
give us a lecture titled
the "Whale Talk".
Everyone is welcome to join.
I'm a freelance photographer.
My work mainly focuses on
whales and dolphins.
But after a while, I began to think...
On those foreign TV channels
such as Discovery or
the National Geographic you see
that underwater photography
seems to be the mainstream.
Often you see the result of underwater photography
in the international media...
They even use these underwater images
to do photo ID.
How big is a blue whale?
Of course I followed it when it dived down
although
I knew I couldn't follow it all the way.
But anyway,
I just got as close as I could, right?
I felt that when it stopped,
I stopped too
because
I felt that it had drawn the line
and shown me that
it was willing to let me watch it.
Though it might last for just a few seconds,
but for me, I had the chance to
swim in the same water with
the biggest animal on the planet.
Tonga is one of the few countries where
the law allows you to go into the sea.
In the so-called whale-watching industry,
they allow you to go into the water.
When a calf is born, it's four to five metres long,
weighing 900 kg to a tone.
It gains 35 kg a day.
So for us,
the difference between a calf and its mother
is like between a car and a bus.
They'll both cause serious injury when they hit you.
I went abroad to watch
different species of whales and dolphins
and to gain
the experience of being with them.
To learn different skills.
But for me,
originally, I wanted to bring the skills
back to Taiwan and started photographing
whales and dolphins underwater in Taiwan.
Since I was in senior high,
I've had a passion for photography.
When I was in senior high,
I took a single-lens reflex camera
my dad had when he was at university.
I started taking pictures.
When I studied biology at university,
I began going out.
Whenever I went out,
whether I was on a field trip
or just a walk in the wilds,
I always carried
my photography equipment with me.
You want me to flush it or do it yourself?
Okay, you flush it.
I flushed it.
Yes, you flushed it.
Let's take the nappy off, okay?
Okay.
Don't scratch your willy.
Have we seen this episode before?
Yes!
So you both remember it?
Yes, he shows up.
I hope you can keep me company.
Yes, I'm home. Okay?
Keep me company at home.
Yes, but I've got work to do too.
So we...
What work?
I still need to do my work.
Anyway, I'll be home with you.
We stay together.
When I do my work, you can
watch TV or read.
Or you can do whatever you want.
Yeah, I'm here with you.
You want that? Okay.
My wife and I...
She's always wanted to have children.
She loves children too.
We...
The lifestyles we pictured in our minds
might be quite different even in the beginning.
So I've been learning hard...
In fact, we've been coping badly
in the last couple of years.
I mean we really...
Apart from our own business,
we put all our effort
into our children.
Chin Hao.
You can't kick others.
Why did you kick your brother?
Do I ever hit you when you don't listen to me?
What do you mean "no"?
So you can kick others if they don't listen to you?
No.
That's right.
So you know you can't kick others, don't you?
Apologise to your brother first.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
Okay, your turn to apologise to your brother.
Look at your brother.
I'm sorry.
Why do you have to say sorry?
Yes.
Why did I have to say it twice?
Why did I say twice?
No, you didn't say twice.
Daddy.
Do you think
we can use this?
Every day...
Looking after the kids...
It's okay in the morning.
By noon I'm just getting
grumpier and grumpier.
You be careful.
I mean you be careful, not me.
I mean the pictures you drew when you were little.
The pictures I drew when I was little...
When looking after the kids...
You can't really communicate with them.
So your frustration accumulates.
I know during that year or two...
While I was looking after my kids,
I felt that everything was wrong with myself.
I had to put up with the feeling.
It explodes by accident.
So he's dead.
Okay, lie down. Be quiet for ten minutes.
I know very well that
I would spend three years with them.
I got as little work as possible.
I'd just spend time with my kids.
I told myself that
these three years were very precious.
I can reason with myself when I'm calm.
But
I see all other photographers move on.
I stay in the same position for three, four years.
Every night I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling.
I keep asking myself
if I should carry on.
I think as a writer,
I must
constantly get stimulation in my life
and keep
growing and improving
because
your writing won't surpass yourself.
So when an artist
understands that
he has to keep gaining
more and more energy
throughout his life,
the energy will be released
into his work.
It's very rare to find
such a big barnacle.
I know
it'd be a very arduous trip.
But
it's a rare chance.
Especially where we are now...
Xiji.
Extremely difficult to come here.
Most of the Penghu residents haven't been here.
The ghost story
puts a lot of people off coming here.
The older generation refuse to come.
But there are quite a lot of young people
who want to come up here.
They've never camped in Xiji.
But it's really difficult.
Look at what we did yesterday.
A large group.
If we didn't put in so much effort,
it'd be very hard for us too.
When the sea is calm,
it tests how you endure sailing at high speed.
When the sea is rough,
it tests how you could stay afloat.
A captain had once asked me.
If you run into a typhoon at sea,
what would you do?
I couldn't answer his question.
Then he told me.
The only chance to survive is to turn the boat,
pointing the prow at the direction where
the wind and the waves come from.
I feel that his words are
the philosophy of life.
So, the chance to
stay alive lies in
how to point the prow at
the source of the problem
in the storm.
Instead of
turning your back to the problems, you must face them.
Only when you're willing to face the problem
do you stand a chance to solve it.
I guess all of you have read
Mr. Liao's articles, haven't you?
Mr. Liao is the byword for
Taiwanese oceanic literature writer.
Taiwan is an island, but
we have only seafood culture and no oceanic culture.
So in recent years,
Mr. Liao has been promoting
the Taiwanese oceanic culture.
I think...
Yeah, in fact...
Looking back at the things I've done in my life,
many of them are rather unnecessary.
I always think that in your life,
feeding yourself or your family,
is the basic thing.
It's the most basic.
Something necessary.
But we often ignore that
in fact, in our lives,
we all have longings.
Longings.
What satisfy our longings are
often things that are unnecessary.
So in my life...
Since I came to realise it,
I let myself do things that are unnecessary.
I have feelings while doing these things.
Then I write down my feelings
and what moves me in my life
in words,
turning them into the oceanic literature.
So the oceanic literature is
a literature born out of action.
It's not that I shut myself in
and use my imagination,
burning my life to write it.
It's very difficult to change your life.
But you're still young.
If you're willing to take action...
Each action takes only a few days
but it's enough to change your lives.
Have you seen this?
Like the mountains and the sea...
It looks more like a shell.
Shall I draw it again?
No, it's fine.
We rarely see each other.
When we meet, we keep...
Maybe he's a man of few words.
So back then...
He didn't know what to say to me.
So sometimes
when he saw my bad habits
I would nag.
He surely would if he didn't like it.
Yeah.
How often do you see each other?
It depends.
See how his lectures go...
If I come to Taichung and
have free time, I'd come to see her.
When I was in primary school...
My parents seemed to have a big fight.
My mum dragged me to Taipei with her.
My dad sat on the stairs,
asking us not to leave.
He looked so sad.
I guess he sacrificed his marriage.
It seemed that he didn't make compromises.
He had things he wanted to do.
And he was very persistent.
You can't stop him.
He doesn't like it.
You can't restrict him.
He's a fish.
He's free.
I absolutely didn't want to participate in
his activities related to the sea.
I hated him. Why...
Why did he destroy our happy family?
Why did things end up like this?
Of course I don't want my children
to experience something like that in the future.
I mean parents divorcing each other.
You don't know who to live with.
Or
If you live with one of them,
the other gets really upset.
A situation like that.
Of course I don't want it to happen.
I hope that
I'd have a very happy family.
It's a goal
I want to achieve.
Sir, shall we get in position?
Yes, get in position.
Get straight into position.
Push it further out a bit.
It should be on the top, right?
Okay.
Good.
1, 2, 3.
Again.
Okay.
Again.
1, 2, 3.
Okay.
Keep the flag pole upright. It's tilting.
So many hurdles to overcome.
I mean...
Leaving Hualien Port is a hurdle
because the coast guards might stop us.
Then...
Entering this port
and assembling the platform are the second.
The third hurdle is
persuading the Fugang coast guards to let us drag it out.
The fourth is dragging it to the open sea.
If we drag it out without any problems,
it'll start drifting tomorrow morning.
What's that?
It's a chicken!
It really is!
A chicken. -Yeah, I told you!
I told you it was a dead body.
I feel that it doesn't make sense.
Twelve nautical miles from the shore...
A dead chicken is found
on our floating platform.
I was born in the Year of the Chicken.
A character in my name has the same pronunciation.
So at that moment, I felt
I didn't tell them.
But I felt
apprehensive.
I felt apprehensive.
Okay, the...
The equipment comes first.
Shall we tie it high up?
The higher, the better.
Pull that side first. -Okay.
When a principal investigator feels apprehensive...
The apprehension may reflect
the fear I have of the ocean.
It's just that since I fear the ocean,
I still work on this project
I've always feared and respected the ocean.
In fact,
before we set sail,
all the dead relatives and friends
who I really cared for
appeared in my dreams.
I guess it could be regarded as
some sort of pressure.
Naturally, the pressure is reflected in my dreams.
On the other hand,
these dreams remind me that
I should treat
this project with the utmost caution.
We tie them from here
to all the way there.
Two sides. 99 balls.
An insect species called pachyrhynchus weevil.
They're fed on the fruit of sea poison tree.
And...
They are found on the Malay Archipelago,
Orchid Island, Green Island
and the Ryukyu Islands.
But not on the main island of Taiwan.
We have sea poison trees in Southern Taiwan.
But strangely, no pachyrhynchus weevils.
So I guess
their habitat spreads along
the Kuroshio Current.
I mean
they ride on the fruit of sea poison tree.
The pachyrhnchus weevils feed on them
and use them as boats,
riding northwards with the Kuroshio Current.
I guess that's how they spread.
We're doing an experiment in this project.
We make a hole in
the stalk of the fruit,
allowing the larvae to crawl in
and then seal it.
We bring the fruit here. Let them drift at sea.
Then we'll compare them with those left on the shore.
And see what the difference it has made.
Yes!
He comes to rescue her!
Seriously?
It's a female.
A dolphin fish.
He's coming! I spot him!
He's swimming over.
Usually, a couple stay together.
Often the female takes the bait.
The male would let the female take the bait.
But when the female gets caught,
the male would come to keep her company.
So people say that dolphin fish are loving.
All species of fish are loving.
They understand love. Or how could they breed?
The species continue existing because of love.
Why did you put it back to the water?
She's too small.
If they aren't big enough, we should let them go.
Her partner must be very happy.
Would you separate them if she was big enough?
Yes, if she was big enough.
They're tasty when they're big enough.
South Pacific Islands!
Jump, jump, shake your bum!
Once more...
Jump, jump, shake your bum!
There are dolphins!
Yes, they have dolphins here!
The boys
always have a boat in the tub
when they're having a bath.
There is always a Lego man in the boat.
Whenever a whale swims over,
the Lego man jumps into the water and takes pictures.
But they're afraid of it.
About two years ago, I started asking them
if they want to go sailing with me.
They always say no.
Later I came to realise that
they're afraid of seeing me jump into the water.
They feel that I would disappear.
Do you see the dolphins?
You see the dolphins?
Daddy, take a picture.
Yes, I'm taking pictures.
Take a picture of the dolphin.
For them, the sea
may still seem
too big.
And unknown.
So they're afraid that
I'd jump into the sea and disappear
though I always come back.
When will you go again after you come back?
When am I coming back?
You count three weeks.
Let me see.
You count four Mondays.
When you've had four weekends,
I'll be back.
Okay?
I'll be back after you've had four weekends.
Then after you come back,
when will you go again?
Well, I'm not going again soon.
I'll keep you company in the cold winter.
Before the spring comes,
I'm not going anywhere
to take pictures of whales.
Okay?
Bye bye.
I'm going to catch the plane.
I'm catching the plane tomorrow.
Okay? Then...
Yeah. Then
I'll be back for the sports day.
Alright?
The sports day.
I'll be there.
Yeah, I'll be back for the sports day.
Sports day... in which month?
The sports day will come after you've had
four weekends.
You'll have your birthday in between.
Happy Birthday! You'll be a year older!
Okay, say bye bye to Daddy.
Bye bye.
Come, let's go.
Give Daddy a hug.
A hug.
Okay, let's go.
Come on.
Let's go.
Where are we?
Sanxiantai.
We're in Sanxiantai.
Six nautical miles offshore.
Not far.
Sanxiantai.
Dinner is ready.
Okay, thanks.
Yuan-ming, come to the platform with me in the morning.
Yes.
Let's tidy the glass balls
and put up two bamboo poles
to stretch the canvas open.
We're in the mainstream of the Kuroshio Current.
I can tell it's the mainstream from
the flowing speed and the look of the surface.
The good thing about the mainstream is
it flows fast and steadily.
The bad thing is...
Especially the north wind is blowing...
It's blowing against the current
so there are big waves.
We see breaking waves on the surface.
The sea state
is unstable.
We've got a situation
on the platform.
The glass balls are squeezed together.
The canvas on the platform is too small.
So we try to put up two bamboo poles
to stretch it open.
Raise it higher and
see if it could shield a larger surface from the sun.
The buoys are black.
So having worked on it for half a day yesterday,
we found it too hot to stand on.
We're trying to do something about it.
We expect a hard-working day today.
Such big waves. Such a sea state.
The North Equatorial Current is
also known as the Kuroshio Current.
In fact, the Kuroshio Current affects the climate.
It affects the flora on the island.
Affects everyone on the island.
It affects not only Taiwan
but also the whole East Asia,
including the northern hemisphere.
It has so much energy.
How lucky we are to be close to it!
But most Taiwanese have
poor knowledge of the Kuroshio Current.
We don't know
it indeed has a close relationship with us.
I had a nap.
When I was napping on the platform,
I snored so loud
as if I was letting out
what I bottled up in the last few days
I feel...
After I woke up, I feel quite happy.
Although a platform like this isn't big
and if you want to live on it,
it's hard to stand up as it sways too much.
But...
Look, the platform is floating on the surface.
In such a sea state,
it manages to keep
the surface completely dry.
Even through the gaps here
you can see how blue and clean
the Kuroshio Current is.
This is my storage box
as well as my desk.
Finally, I bring it up here
and fix it to the platform.
So from today onwards,
I've got my desk and the storage box
while drifting at sea.
I didn't train in literature.
I haven't read that many literary works either.
So this is how I write.
I mean.
God gives me such an environment,
allowing me to experience it.
Inspired and moved,
I write down my feelings in words.
Drifting at sea and wandering on land
are quite similar.
It's being in exile.
We rarely have any chance
to let ourselves be truly free.
Let the Nature lead us.
Let the Fate lead us.
I know the Kuroshio Current always runs northwards.
So I think the Kuroshio Current gives me a chance
to let go of many things.
Let the Kuroshio Current lead us,
who carry nothing, for some distance.
If the Kuroshio Current is
the Fate of Taiwan or myself,
then we're really being led by the Fate.
Imagine if there was no escort boat,
we'd be drifting alone at sea.
Look at the sea state today.
Does it swing a lot?
We're drifting steadily.
Once I
I was in my wetsuit all day
but didn't have any chance to dive into the water.
Once I didn't even have to put on my wetsuit.
For me, it's fine.
Anyway, you know
you can't do anything about it.
You won't...
Of course I hope I can dive into the water.
But you know there is nothing you can do if you can't.
Anyway, I've come this far to this place.
What happens next is out of my control.
At least, I've brought myself
to the boat at sea.
I'll leave the rest to the sea.
This one you can follow.
Because it moves slow.
Okay.
Is the calf playing?
So it's the calf playing, right?
It's a good sign.
They've stopped. A good sign.
Get ready.
Over there.
Oh my God!
When you see a whale leap out of the water,
it is not only jumping
but also making a splash.
The combination of the splash, the light
and the shadow is never the same.
For me, it's forever changing.
It's just the beginning.
It's playing.
It loves playing.
Did you see it?
Yeah, over there.
11 o'clock. About two hundred metres.
Yeah, get it.
Go!
In the southern hemisphere, the humpback whales
feed themselves in the Antarctica in summer.
In winter, from July to September,
they come here to breed.
After the calves are born, they are raised here.
They wait
until spring before migrating back.
So when we come here, we have
the biggest chance of seeing mothers with their calves.
Whales are mammals.
So they need to come up to the surface to breathe air.
Of course adult whales have bigger lungs than calves.
So for the mother,
she can stay underwater for almost half an hour.
But the calf has to breathe air every ♪ or 8 minutes.
Often we see in the water that
there are a mother and her calf...
When we dive in, we see the mother stay down
and the baby go up to breathe
and then come down again.
If the calf
is alert to you,
it keeps some distance from you.
It goes up and breathes
and comes back to its mother.
But on the other hand,
if a calf isn't that alert...
Of course it also depends on its age...
They act differently.
The older the calf is,
the more curious
it gets about us.
Then it would
even swim to the divers
and look at us.
It really comes to look at us.
You see its eyes staring at you.
It stays right before you.
It spins and plays, showing off...
So like Diamonda (boat) has still not been in the water.
Some... they still not swimming.
You mean down there?
No, the other boats.
Oh, yap.
Go!
At first,
in my first or second year here,
I was really eager to chase after each image.
I found each shot so precious.
But later
when I can spend
longer and longer time here,
I enjoy being with them much more.
Then I can
interact with them
more and more actively.
I think it's such a fantastic thing.
Hooray!
Nice!
Okay.
Good, the current flows in a good direction.
The Kuroshio Current flows in the same direction.
Always northwards.
Never southwards.
It just goes a bit slower.
We started from here.
The inner line is the route of the boat.
The outer line is the route
of the floating platform.
It passed Taitung on the way.
It came to this point.
It stopped drifting and got too close to the shore.
So we dragged it for another three nautical miles
to where the cursor is.
Then it started drifting from here
and has come to where the boat is.
It drifted the fastest on this day.
Yes.
About three and half nautical miles an hour on that day.
So it's 70 nautical miles in 20 hours.
It began slowing down when it got here.
It stopped here.
Look, it stopped and circled around here.
Yes, it circled on the spot.
So now it's drifted to this place.
This spot.
This is where our boat is.
That's Hualien Port.
When people heard of this drifting project,
their first reaction was...
It's too dangerous!
Some disaster is bound to happen.
It's too dangerous.
Such perception is very common in Taiwan.
All sorts of sea activities
are regarded as very dangerous.
It's better to avoid them,
including travelling by boat.
I think this perception reflects that
most people in Taiwan fear the sea.
And it causes bias and misunderstanding
when young people
want to go on adventures.
Of course we understand that
all parents want their children to grow up safe
but
the most important principle is
going on adventures
doesn't mean doing dangerous things
without preparation or knowledge.
You have to get yourself well prepared.
If our children are trained properly,
they would know that
before going to any activities
such as mountaineering or sailing,
they have to be well prepared.
You have to learn about the mountains or the sea.
SO you can avoid
most dangers.
Then
only when they could do that
would they gain
the chances and assets that
the human world or the cities could not offer.
All creatures have survival instinct
to keep themselves alive.
To be alive is a beautiful thing.
If what we do every day is
just to keep ourselves alive,
I feel it's a pity.
Moving fast. This one.
Here you meet photographers from all over the world.
They are the world-class photographers.
When you meet them, you see...
Maybe only those
world-class photographers
have the privilege
not to worry about
sponsorship, funding, etc.
We have like orca
and pilot whale.
Orca and pilot whales...
They're coming to visit you.
Orca is like once a year.
The problem is... unlike like here that they're staying.
They are just migrating.
So like we only say
maybe twice or three times during the migration season.
Like humpback whales,
we also... Actually, we're doing research
so we're in contact with local fishermen.
So sometimes our report is not seen by ourselves.
They're from the fishermen.
Okay, you can go.
Many photographers I meet here
come to this place in this season.
In the next season,
they go to other places.
Like filming penguins in South Georgia Islands.
Go to the Antarctica in January or February.
In July or August,
they may go to the safari in Kenya.
Throughout the year
that's how they work
and build their careers,
allowing themselves to go to
the places where they can photograph something.
It's true that I long to work like that.
But for me, I simply can't
leave my family and children
for so long
because I know
once you've started working like that,
you'd be away from home
for two thirds or even three quarters
of a year.
At least for now,
I think I can't switch to that kind of work style.
Taiwan is the place where I started working.
So you can see that in June, July and August
I want to stay in Taiwan.
I hope I can keep working in Taiwan.
But in other months
I can go somewhere else in the world.
And when my children are
in their late teens,
they won't need be looked after all the time.
Then I may spend more time away from home.
I hope that I can keep diving until I'm sixty-year-old.
Sounds like elephant.
This is my best recording.
When I came here for the first time,
I did have the courage of a novice.
I just went for it.
I thought I came here just for once.
No matter what, I needed to get good pictures.
So I wasn't afraid at all.
But in my second year here...
When I returned to the water
and came to realise how big the whale was
and how close I had to get to it
to take good pictures,
I was scared.
In fact, in my second year, I stayed further back.
But every time I pulled back
I felt so gutted.
I mean after I pulled back,
I thought I could have got closer.
It should still be safe.
So for me, I need to re-adjust myself.
Again, I have to learn
how to face my fear.
Only when you've overcome your fear
will you be able to do something like this.
That day we ran into a playful adult whale.
It kept coming to me,
trying to interact with me.
It even wanted to touch me.
I could clearly feel that.
His pectoral fin avoided me a few times.
At first, I thought I dodged it too.
But all of a sudden,
his tail swept towards me.
I knew something like that would happen one day.
As I go diving so often,
sooner or later I'll have accidents.
The shared dream...
All fishermen have had the same dream,
including myself. I had
a similar dream too.
When falling asleep,
you see something creeping
into the boat from a corner.
The bodies of these monsters
who creep into the boat
are half-rotten.
That day I drank a bit.
Lying on the deck, I was having a nap.
Then I had a dream.
I dreamt that someone was climbing into the boat.
The boat shook.
Then I saw
something slimy
and black crawling towards me
from the stern.
Of course I was terrified.
So terrified that my whole body went stiff.
As expected, it crawled to me
and throttled me.
I think I failed as a father.
I didn't have a good relationship with my father.
I think my relationship with my daughter
isn't good either
because
I have to look after my own needs in life.
When I chose the sea,
I knew
I wouldn't have much time to be a father.
Since I made the choice,
I had to pay the price for it.
I was a cold and reclusive teenager.
I think it's got something to do with my family.
After I was hit by the whale,
my dad complained in the car.
He never likes me doing what I do.
He thinks it's very dangerous and
then back to the same old question.
He asks me why I don't get
a safe secure job.
Why do I have to work so hard to make money?
For me, doing what I do
I wouldn't do it if I wanted to make money.
But for them, I just disappear all of a sudden.
Even till now, you see them
always sceptical of
every decision I make.
You can say they care about me very much.
But in their own way.
They don't listen to me.
In fact, my family
I always feel that we seem a happy family.
But we actually don't talk to each other.
Later I learned that
I'd just ignore their doubts.
I'd do whatever I want to do.
If they want to question me, suit themselves.
Or I'll never be able to do anything
while they keep questioning me.
I didn't dare to move.
But it's almost healed.
If I can make the bruise
disappear sooner,
it'll heal faster.
Hopefully, you can go on Monday.
Yes, I'm going on Monday.
I'll definitely go on Monday.
Are you sure?
Yeah, I'm sure.
Anyway, I have to give it a try.
If I really can't make it in the water,
I'll go back to the boat, waiting for you.
Actually, I came to understand them later.
My mother is a biology teacher.
My father is a researcher in a lab.
So the future
they pictured
for their child would be something similar.
So back then
they felt how I could
go down this path or even...
Even till now, they still
keep complaining.
Anyway,
I've become what I am like now.
You can say
I'm the person who set up the first
molecular biology lab in Taiwan.
In fact,
some of my colleagues
and students who watched.
Ray grow up
asked me if I should ask Ray...
To bring his life back on the right track.
Back to the "right track" ” in their minds.
Ask me to stop messing around.
Well, we all hope our children
would go down
a secure and stable career path.
About six, seven years ago, I began
to accept
the career path he chose for himself.
But
on the other hand,
I'm still worried.
Today is the Toy Share Day.
Today is the Toy Share Day?
Which toy did you bring with you?
The little train.
My favourite soda.
You're saving it for me when I'm back?
Yes.
You left the hospital?
Yes, I did.
I'm back to where I'm staying.
But I can't go into the sea.
I still can't go into the water.
My leg isn't healed yet.
I'm still taking a break.
They don't know where Tonga is.
But they know
this time every year.
Daddy would go to a place called Tonga
to take pictures of whales
and disappear for some time.
Often that place is...
It's dark in Taiwan but still bright over there.
Of course I miss my kids.
But actually I don't call them
because I think
it's just to satisfy myself.
I satisfy my desire
of seeing them.
But
after I see them,
I feel satisfied.
After I hang up the phone,
it's them who have to deal with
the sense of loss.
My wife and I both feel that
it doesn't seem to be a good idea
since they miss me too.
It took them time to calm down.
I hang up after the call.
But it triggers
their feelings of
anxiety or saying goodbye.
I'm not someone
who would ask if they miss me.
I think that's rather meaningless.
Keep asking
if your family miss you just to be reassured.
I'm not someone like that.
Today we arrive in Hualien.
I've sailed past Hualien many times.
Off the shores of my hometown.
I rowed past it too. In a canoe.
I thought I would drift past it.
Today we happen to be off the shores of Hualian.
It's truly that
I climbed onto the platform and watched
the mountains in Hualien in the distance.
Really
I'm really drifting off the shores of my hometown.
I always feel that the ocean can give me something.
I always feel that
my battlefield is at sea.
I insisted on going down this path.
Although
my ex-wife and daughter opposed it,
I still chose this path.
In fact, my daughter has always been thoughtful.
When she was little... even before she could talk,
she knew...
She seemed to know
I was suffering.
She would come over and pat me.
So, for the period in which
I disappeared from her life,
I know
I'll always regret that I can never
make up to her.
She never liked me working on the sea.
When I worked as fisherman,
she opposed me catching fish.
Later I moved on to whale-watching.
She always turned down my invites to the sea.
I often felt sad.
I
I introduced the ocean to countless youngsters.
But
I couldn't pass the message to my own daughter.
So I had tried
to show her
what I'd been working on
and all the things I did at sea.
When she was at university,
for the first time, she told me
she wanted to join the whale-watching tour,
on which I was the guide.
I felt so happy that
my daughter had grown up and
finally understood her father's feelings.
I didn't expect that she was actually
taking her boyfriend
to the sea.
She and her boyfriend sat at the bow.
They sat at the bow.
Of course
they weren't married to each other back then.
They were very much in love.
Whenever the boat hit a big wave,
her boyfriend put his arm around her shoulder.
I was standing somewhere high up
so I could see them sitting before me.
Actually soon after we left the port, I kept
telling my daughter in my mind.
You know? On this tour
I'm explaining everything just for you.
Seeing her boyfriend looking after her
made me feel rather jealous.
As a father,
I'd been working at sea for years,
hoping my daughter would get to see the sea.
But.
I can't compete with someone
who stays so close to her
that he can protect her with his arms.
A dramatic change took place four years ago.
She had breast cancer.
At that time,
I was thinking
if I'd lose my daughter again.
At that time, my dad was about to publish his 20th book.
Then he asked me
if I'd do the illustration for his book.
I never understood what he had been doing.
But...
It wasn't until I fell ill
and began doing the illustration for his book
that I truly
got to know his ocean.
The ocean he sees in his eyes.
The ocean in his eyes.
Doing illustration for his book
makes my dreams more colourful.
My dreams become more colourful.
And...
Somehow my feelings for the sea have become stronger.
Hello everyone.
Hello Mr. Liao!
Cheers to the drifting team!
We're trying to get as close as possible to the platform.
Careful.
Slowly. Safety comes first.
Father and daughter reunited at the Pacific!
Dad, I love you!
She says she loves you!
See you back on the shore!
Mr. Liao, bye bye!
It's dusk. Time to eat.
Time to eat!
Did you hear that?
We first saw a little egret today.
Rarely seen so far from the shore.
Later we seemed to catch sight of
two wagtails.
I thought they were tired, looking for a boat to perch on.
But later
more and more birds appeared.
Those high in the sky are waders.
And
those flying around the boat are
wagtails and swallows.
I thought they came to eat
the bugs attracted to the light in the boat.
But it doesn't seem to be the case.
They didn't come for food or rest.
When I worked in the offshore fishing boat,
I'd seen a flock of migrating birds
flying past the boat.
They just flew past.
What we're seeing tonight is different.
They're flying around the boat.
Even those in the sky
are hovering above the boat.
A flock of seabirds are floating behind the stern.
I've never seen anything like these before.
Never.
Hopefully, they come to give their blessing
to the Kuroshio Current 101 Drifting Project.
I would hope so.
Dolphins on your left!
They're getting close.
Pantropical spotted droplines! I'm sure.
Wow, pantropical spotted dolphins!
I look forward to it.
I didn't sleep well last night.
Like a kid going on an excursion.
I haven't been in the water for ages.
For how long?
Let me think...
Fourteen days...
Seventeen days, I guess.
Seventeen days. Around two weeks.
Yes, seventeen days.
I don't feel nervous.
Just
I feel that finally, I'm back.
The chance to be hit by a humpback whale again
is very very slim.
So, I'm more worried about
hitting against the boat
when I go in and out of the water.
Taking pictures underwater in Hualien
is hard work.
I may spend the whole summer there
and get just one or two pictures.
I feel really frustrated in the process.
So I come here...
The whales are waiting for you in the water.
So for me, coming to this place
is like rekindling my passion.
Get fully charged again
so next year I'll have the energy
to go to Hualien and hope that
I'll see whales when I dive into the water.
More than ten!
Wow, more than ten!
I'm really waiting for this for the whole season.
For six weeks!
Taking pictures of whales and dolphins
gives me
the strongest sensations and
the biggest joy.
So later I decided that
I should really focus on
whales and dolphins.
Of course
when I got hit earlier,
the sense of fear came back again.
For me, this accident
is something I'll never forget.
But maybe it will
become a new
starting point.
Yesterday
when we drifted northwards from Hualien,
strong north wind began blowing at dusk.
So we experienced the worst sea state
since the project began.
But the Kuroshio Current kept carrying
the boat towards the north.
It didn't slow down.
So by this morning,
the wind has stopped
and the sea has calmed down.
We drifted more than 60 km last night.
It's unexpected.
Despite such strong north wind,
it drifted more than 60 km.
This spot is Nanau.
We began from off the shores of Dawu.
This is where we started on the first day.
We've drifted all the way to
the furthest north point...
About 135 nautical miles apart.
It's the direct distance.
With all these curves, it should be
about 140 to 150 nautical miles.
The forecast says the waves would reach three-metre high tomorrow.
So we turned back early today.
The project finishes successfully!
Move it onto the truck.
Please hold the handrail during the whole journey.
I know I'm leaving again.
So in fact
I have to pack for the next trip.
The sea water in Argentina is 12 degree Celsius.
So I have to
find the ♪ mm wetsuit as soon as possible.
Actually, I haven't got to do that...
So in the next four days,
I have to repair the camera housing.
Take my kids out.
Try to dig out the 7mm wetsuit
from somewhere.
So actually,
I don't feel like coming home to rest.
I come back
and hurriedly
get ready
for the next trip.
Daddy!
Hi.
Daddy!
Careful, don't get hit.
Daddy.
Let me push it. You walk with them.
I've got a new bin lorry!
You've got a new bin lorry?
And it's a toy!
It's a toy!
Koala.
I got biscuits at school.
Biscuits at school.
Very yummy!
Is this the award-winning photo?
Yes, the award-winning one.
Stern waves.
The natural waves
aren't as dense as these.
The water isn't crystal clear in the original photo.
So it has been digitally adjusted.
Okay.
No problem.
Thanks!
Sometimes I have to answer people
when they ask me what I do.
I can't explain what I do
in a few words.
So I'd say I'm an underwater photographer.
But in fact,
in my mind, I don't really
see underwater photography
as work.
So I often just say
that is what I do.
This looks so beautiful!
Yeah.
I really like that...
In fact, relatively speaking,
it is a bit blurry.
But I really like it looking blurry.
Yeah, it feels very nice.
Yeah, like a fairy-tale. They're talking to each other.
Personally, I prefer
no borders because I want it
to look like it could extend.
Look, if there were white borders...
There are no borders in the sea!
It's okay for this composition.
Yes, and there are no borders in the seal.
Yeah.
I think it'll do.
I think it's a perfect height.
Will it hit your head?
If you sit down and eat underneath it...
You have to
spend ten years first.
You don't know if you'll succeed in ten years or not.
But you just have to spend ten years.
So basically it's the same length of time.
It's possible that
you'll make your name.
But it's also possible that you'll still be nobody.
Since you have to spend ten years
gambling on something, I'll surely
gamble on something I'm interested in.
Maybe it sounds a like a dream
or very idealistic to some people.
But for me, I think...
So far so good.
Anyway, I'm doing what I do.
I can make some money
out of it.
And I survive.
Although
I'm moving ahead
rather slowly,
I'm still moving ahead.
Thank you, sir.
Since I became a writer,
people have asked me many times
which book inspired me
to become a writer.
I couldn't think of any.
Later I'd tell them it is the Kuroshio Current.
I spent two, three decades living at sea.
I'm deeply influenced by the Kuroshio Current.
Often I say to those who love writing.
Go and create an environment for writing.
It makes you happier when you're outdoors.
You'd feel more.
This is a very difficult project.
But it turned to be the one that
went most smoothly among all the projects.
I had worked on.
Actually, what drives me
to keep writing is the hope that
people on this island would turn around
to face the vast boundless sea.
Things
will be very different on this island
when we turn to face the sea.
If the oceanic elements take root in Taiwan,
changes are bound to happen.
We'll definitely march towards a better future.
Do you see a harbour?
There is a boat in the harbour.
Do you see a boat?
The boat sailing to the sea.
Do you see the sea?
There is a whale in the sea.
Do you see the whale?
The whale is singing.
Keep swimming.
In the still sea.
Keep swimming.
In the fishless sea.
Keep swimming.
With a strong will but weak limbs.
Keep swimming.
Without dreams and ambitions
I'm not an island.
But a fish
I wake up at any time.
Set sail at any time.
Do you see a harbour?
There is a boat in the harbour.
Do you see a boat?
The boat sailing to the sea.
Do you see the sea?
There is a whale in the sea.
Do you see the whale?
I lived in the mountains in my student years.
I also spent more than ten years at sea.
When you are off the shores of Hualien,
you can actually see the mountains.
In Taiwan, they're not far apart from each other.
The best thing about Taiwan is
you can go sailing this weekend and
in a couple of days,
just change the gear and go into the mountains.
Okay, it's coming up.
It seems to be skyhopping.
Head up.
Like it's skyhopping.
It's turning.
Hello Hua Hsiao-hsiang!
We've seen many sperm whales in the last few days.
Only this one would get so close to the boat.
So unexpected.
We're looking for a sperm whale in the sea.
And this is the one.
We run into it!
It's incredible!
Oh, my goodness, they're so cute!
Tan's first time to see the orcas.
How many years has Tan been coming? Since last year.
This is nothing special.
I've been coming for four years.
Out of the water. 11 o'clock!
Four males together.
My voice is getting hoarse.
So happy to see the orcas.
I shout with them.
The mother and her calf are still around.
After so many years at sea, it's the first time
I saw sperm whales in the morning and orcas in the afternoon.