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After over 2 weeks, we got the encounter we had been dreaming of.
The moment I got underwater I heard it, echoing all around me. The whales were singing! As we got closer, the song became louder. We hung motionless in the water as the calf swam up to us, as if to say "hello". The sound was so loud I could feel it vibrating my chest, like standing next to a large speaker at a concert.
Diving with a whale is different. Looking into their deep eyes makes you come away feeling like you’ve met someone new.
Two adolescent humpback whales off the coast of Mo’orea, French Polynesia. The whale with its belly up is a young male swimming laps around the other, trying to impress it. These two were flirting in the water around us for a few brief moments before swimming off into the depths.
Humpback whales in French Polynesia migrate to the region to breed and give birth. French Polynesia's warm waters and lagoons provide an ideal habitat for these whales during their reproductive season.
I find that photos from this place can better capture the island’s magic when paired together.
The rich colours of the sky, textures of intricate organisms, and deep vibrating sounds from the whales.The island keeps calling me (and my camera) back.
I find that photos from this place can better capture the island’s magic when paired together.
The rich colours of the sky, textures of intricate organisms, and deep vibrating sounds from the whales.
The island keeps calling me (and my camera) back.
The swell was intense that day. A thin sliver of light on the horizon was the only sign of relief for us as the thick grey rainclouds above our tiny boat brought with them strong winds and an unforgiving current. We had spent 17 days bobbing uncontrollably in the turbulent South Pacific with the intention of encountering an elusive Humpback Whale. It was mating season after all, so the chances of seeing one were apparently pretty good, but our luck had thought otherwise.
I slipped into the water to see if we could hear the whales singing in the distance- something you can only hear if your head is underwater. I got in and found myself surrounded by black tip sharks- probably attracted by the sound of the engines on our boat and the splash of me entering the water. Black tips are relatively harmless if you move slowly and keep your fingers close… so I got my camera and spent a few minutes in the rough water with them.
I met this woman on the beach one night during sunset. Her makeup was tattooed on her weathered face and her eyes sparkled as if she had seen countless adventures. I asked her how she ended up in this small island in French Polynesia? She had an American accent, and most people speak french down here.
She told me that she is a celestial navigator. She sailed here by herself from San Diego in the 70s. She fell in love with the island, married a local man and never went back.
Some of my favourite whale photos from the humpback migration in French Polynesia are when the whale fully exposes its glowing white underbelly, forcing you to drop your exposure so it’s not blown out.
This makes the rest of the image/water pretty dark giving it this look.
Since my first trip to Mo’orea in 2020, I’ve been back 5 times for various projects or shoots. It’s rare to find a place that is absolutely mindblowing both above and underwater.
