sperm whales #3
Sperm whale taking the plunge, Ogasawara Islands, Japan
Nikon D300 + Nikkor 10.5mm, Pro One Dome port, natural light
photo taken under permit
Wikipedia reference
Location on Google Maps
Sperm whale diving cycle lasts for about one hour, with ~45 minutes spent underwater, at extreme depths up to 1000m while hunting for giant squid and octopus - and only 15 minutes on the surface. For us it's only possible to see them during this short time period - and it's necessary to use hydrophone to locate rendezvous points. Hydrophone allows to capture sounds whales make even at extreme depths - pointing to the area where whale is going to surface.