humpback whales #1
Humpback whale showing his belly, Wild Coast, South Africa
Nikon D300 + Nikkor 10.5mm, natural light
Wikipedia reference
Location on Google maps
Sometime ago I published theme dedicated to my encounters with sperm whales in Japan - http://pats0n.livejournal.com/tag/week015 - now it's time for humpback whales to take spotlight in my photo-stream ! ^_^
Humpbacks are without doubts the most photogenic whale specie. They have unusually long pectoral fins which they like to put to use while showing various acrobatic stunts on the surface or in the water. They like to breach throwing themselves completely into the air with just several movements of the powerful tail. Finally they are incredibly talented singers too, with their songs bearing very complex nature and serving various ritual and communication purposes.
This image was taken in July in South Africa - when one friendly specimen decided to stick with us for about 50 minutes, showing off his beautiful underwater dance.