we went to the sub-antarctic in winter
time because we were told that there was
a new population of southern right
whales that had only been discovered
about ten years before and had probably
never seen a human being before
certainly not underwater it was a very
speculative trip I didn’t know what we’d
find but got there and lo and behold
these animals just couldn’t have been
more curious I do pretty much alone most
of the time I was there we had some bad
weather but the visibility was really
good for sub-antarctic conditions and
here you see two of these right whales
just coming right in I should also
mention that right whales have these
things on their head called kalasa T’s
these are they’re born with rough
patches of skin and about the same place
that humans have hair so on the top of
their head over their eyes like an
eyebrow and on their chin and they get
occupied by by barnacles and little
crabs called Salmons which give them
shape in color but these animals were
just so curious I mean these were 45
foot 70 ton whales that came right up to
me allowed me to make full-frame you
know pictures of just the eye this very
soulful eye of this whale you know but
the size of a softball just looking at
you even thinking and you know you just
can’t help but wonder what they’re
making you out as you just don’t know
you know in the days when the visibility
wasn’t so good I sort of dropped down
and made silhouette pictures this is a
courtship of a male and female I was
careful not to get in between that would
have been very bad but and then you know
after doing this for a number of days
and getting a few pictures I had an idea
in my mind I wanted to make a photograph
of a human with one of these whales so I
asked my assistant ratio to get in the
water with me never knowing if the
whales we cooperated not but sure enough
as if central casting this this
beautiful female whale just came down
and spent about two hours with us on the
bottom this is Mauricio standing on the
bottom at a depth of about 70 feet and
this this thing that’s the size of a
city bus just swimming it right up to
you and hanging out with you you know
you couldn’t believe it as I as I made
these pictures I was swimming along the
bottom and you’ve got a dry suit on and
a steel tank and all this weight about
100
of equipment and after a while you know
you got to catch your breath so I just
sort of knelt down and tried to catch my
breath that I was sure this whale would
just keep me keep me in the dust leave
leave me in its wake but it actually
turned and came back and stopped and
waited for me I was looking at that big
softball I was if to say you know wait
for you catch your breath I know you
can’t swim very well but and then you
know off we went
time because we were told that there was
a new population of southern right
whales that had only been discovered
about ten years before and had probably
never seen a human being before
certainly not underwater it was a very
speculative trip I didn’t know what we’d
find but got there and lo and behold
these animals just couldn’t have been
more curious I do pretty much alone most
of the time I was there we had some bad
weather but the visibility was really
good for sub-antarctic conditions and
here you see two of these right whales
just coming right in I should also
mention that right whales have these
things on their head called kalasa T’s
these are they’re born with rough
patches of skin and about the same place
that humans have hair so on the top of
their head over their eyes like an
eyebrow and on their chin and they get
occupied by by barnacles and little
crabs called Salmons which give them
shape in color but these animals were
just so curious I mean these were 45
foot 70 ton whales that came right up to
me allowed me to make full-frame you
know pictures of just the eye this very
soulful eye of this whale you know but
the size of a softball just looking at
you even thinking and you know you just
can’t help but wonder what they’re
making you out as you just don’t know
you know in the days when the visibility
wasn’t so good I sort of dropped down
and made silhouette pictures this is a
courtship of a male and female I was
careful not to get in between that would
have been very bad but and then you know
after doing this for a number of days
and getting a few pictures I had an idea
in my mind I wanted to make a photograph
of a human with one of these whales so I
asked my assistant ratio to get in the
water with me never knowing if the
whales we cooperated not but sure enough
as if central casting this this
beautiful female whale just came down
and spent about two hours with us on the
bottom this is Mauricio standing on the
bottom at a depth of about 70 feet and
this this thing that’s the size of a
city bus just swimming it right up to
you and hanging out with you you know
you couldn’t believe it as I as I made
these pictures I was swimming along the
bottom and you’ve got a dry suit on and
a steel tank and all this weight about
100
of equipment and after a while you know
you got to catch your breath so I just
sort of knelt down and tried to catch my
breath that I was sure this whale would
just keep me keep me in the dust leave
leave me in its wake but it actually
turned and came back and stopped and
waited for me I was looking at that big
softball I was if to say you know wait
for you catch your breath I know you
can’t swim very well but and then you
know off we went
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