Title says it all I think.
I know they sleep with half their brain at a time so they can continue to surface and breathe but ISTM in extremely high seas (monster waves) these animals would have a very difficult time coping.
Is it that just some will die in these circumstances? Or, they have some sense to get away from the worst of it? Or it just is not a problem at all for them? Or, party time for them! Surf the big waves!
They don’t necessarily need to surface to breathe as often as we would; dolphins can apparently hold their breaths for 8-10 minutes or so, and whales for considerably longer. And they only have to surface for a fraction of a second to exhale old air and inhale fresh air.
And, as waves – even really big waves – are mostly occurring on the ocean’s surface, they only have to be in the choppy water for a short time as they surface to breathe, before diving back down to calmer waters.
It’s generally not a problem:
1.) Some of them at least might to sense changes in atmospheric pressure and they can certainly hear water changes. They can and will actively move away from approaching storms, if for no other reasons that there prey can get dispersed by rough weather (particularly for large baleen whales). Smaller dolphins may temporarily shelter in protected coves if near shore for a few hours.
2.) Their respiration control is near absolute and they have to breathe very infrequently. Generally whales can breath in and out explosively in under one second. Combine that with the excellent body control of a very strong animal adapted to aquatic life and it just isn’t hard for them to snatch the occasional breath on even the roughest seas.
Basically whales just don’t seem to drown unless already very compromised by sickness or injury.
What’s a big surface swell going to do to them? Make them sink? They already do that; it’s called diving.
Imagine trying to sleep as a whale/dolphin when the ocean is large.
Sure they can dive deeper but still must come up to breathe.
So? Are you suggesting they can’t surface in high seas? High seas are only a danger to things that can’t refloat themselves.