Stand on the beach overlooking Half Moon Bay, and the sound you’re most likely to hear is of waves crashing against the rocks. But when Roger Bland climbed up there, he wanted to hear what was underneath those waves. That’s because Bland is an acoustic physicist. He studies sea life by using a series of underwater microphones called hydrophones. That’s how Bland records the sounds of the Bay: He also heard whales. Whales of all kinds, but specifically the blue whale, which is the largest known mammal on earth. KALW’s Martina Castro went to speak with Roger Bland in his laboratory at SF State, and he explained to her how he went about recording the calls of these underwater giants.

Stand on the beach overlooking Half Moon Bay, and the sound you’re most likely to hear is of waves crashing against the rocks. But when Roger Bland climbed up there, he wanted to hear what was underneath those waves. That’s because Bland is an acoustic physicist. He studies sea life by using a series of underwater microphones called hydrophones. That’s how Bland records the sounds of the Bay: He also heard whales. Whales of all kinds, but specifically the blue whale, which is the largest known mammal on earth. KALW’s Martina Castro went to speak with Roger Bland in his laboratory at SF State, and he explained to her how he went about recording the calls of these underwater giants.