A lot of my friends and colleagues often ask me why I have been to Tonga so many times and joke that surely by now I have photographed them in every single angle :-)?! Well its true that I was very fortunate to get many pictures over the years, and from all angles, but the reason I keep going is because humpback whales fascinate me. They are without doubt very intelligent animals and I have never experienced the same level of consciousness and interaction with any other animals except dolphins. Each day spent with the whales is different and so many behaviours can be experienced, such as courting, nursing, playing, singing etc. Even this year, trip number 9, I saw things that I had never seen before. It is such a humbling privilege to be able to spend time with those amazing creatures and to be accepted around them. They were nearly brought to extinction by whaling and they still face challenges, including the pressure of tourism. I am very grateful for every moment when the whales have accepted me and my groups around them and I hope there will be many more.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 00:35:51 +0000