Compass
Photographer captures amazing shots in underwater whale encounter
We're all for seeing nature up close, but this could be pushing it.
Wildlife photographer Justin Hofman captured these amazing shots of southern right whales in Argentina in late October. His photos give a sense of their immense size, especially when compared to a tourist boat.
Lucky for us, Hofman had permission from the Argentine authorities to photograph the whales — so we can enjoy them from the safety of shore.
"Southern right whales use the protected lagoons of Peninsula Valdez, Argentina to birth their calfs and mate," the photographer wrote on his website. "I had the opportunity to dive with a few whales and it changed me forever."
We can see why. In one captivating picture, mother and calf swim side by side as they come in for their close-up.
Members of this whale species congregate in the Southern Hemisphere and travel to one of four breeding grounds, including the Argentine peninsula, to raise their babies.
It's not clear from these pics who, exactly, is watching whom. As whale watchers in a boat on the surface scan for wildlife, the mother whale swims under the vessel and appears to be checking out the humans.
In one eye-popping photo taken underwater, the behemoth is practically nose to nose with a brave – or crazy – scuba diver, who appears to greet the floating giant.
“Being in the water with a whale is the most humbling experience I've ever had underwater,” Hofman told Yahoo Travel in an email.
Incredibly, no people or whales were harmed in the taking of these photos. There were some apparent near misses, though. Hofman told Yahoo Travel, "It actually became quite funny because we would be totally enthralled by the animal, take pictures of the head and eye as they were swimming by, but then the instant we got past the pectoral flippers, it was a mad scramble to swim away from the whale to avoid their tail."“Being in the water with a whale is the most humbling experience I've ever had underwater,” Hofman told Yahoo Travel in an email.
A 15-foot tail is something you should avoid on a right whale: The creature's typical size is 45 to 55 feet long, and it can weigh up to 60 tons.
(Photo: Justin Hofman / Barcroft Media)
No comments:
Post a Comment