THE DEEP DIVE A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO UNDERWATER WHALE PHOTOGRAPHY
Picture this: You are freediving 10m below the surface on one breath, floating silently amongst the endless blue ocean backdrop. You are here for one thing - to photograph a passing humpback whale and her calf. Suddenly, a 30,000kg male escort glides into the frame, fanning its gigantic tail once, and disappears into the black.
You are totally out of your depth; humans aren’t made to be deep-sea divers, although admittedly, some clearly are. But for most mere mortals, we are at the total mercy of the ocean environment and these beautiful and wild creatures.
Most people out there are satisfied with conventional whale watching tours as they provide a fantastic viewpoint with minimal risk. However, some people, like me, seek a deeper connection with nature. They make their way to the sacred waters of places like Tonga, Fiji and Tahiti and enter the mystical world of our oceans to swim with these giants of the sea.
DIVING IN
You could be forgiven for thinking that photographing whales is an easy task due to their enormous size. After all, anyone armed with a camera phone can snap a half-decent shot of an elephant or other large animal and come away quite chuffed. But unfortunately, the moment you dip below the surface of the water a plethora of other
