An Unforgettable Encounter with Southern Right Whales

🐋The photographer had an off-the-scale experience with a population of southern right whales in the sub-antarctic of New Zealand.

📸He was the first person to encounter and photograph these whales, who had never seen a human before.

🌎The location where the whales were found was discovered only about ten years prior, making the encounter even more special.

💦The photographer interacted with the curious whales, who approached him and checked him out.

😍It was a dream come true for the photographer to have such an unforgettable and rare opportunity to experience and photograph these whales.

How did the photographer come across the southern right whales?

—The photographer was doing a story about right whales for National Geographic magazine when he discovered this population of southern right whales in the sub-antarctic of New Zealand.

What made this encounter risky?

—The population of southern right whales had only been discovered about ten years prior, and it was a speculative trip with uncertain outcomes. The photographer didn't know what they would find.

How did the whales react to the photographer's presence?

—The whales, who had never seen a human before, were curious and interacted with the photographer. They approached him, checked him out, and even bumped into him.

How long did the photographer spend with the whales?

—During one encounter, the photographer and his assistant spent about two and a half hours with one giant whale that swam over to them and stayed with them.

What was the highlight of the photographer's experience?

—The highlight was when the photographer knelt down and took a break, thinking the whale would swim away, but instead, the whale stopped, turned, and came back, as if saying 'wait for you.'

00:00The photographer was doing a story about right whales for National Geographic magazine when he discovered a population of southern right whales in the sub-antarctic of New Zealand.

00:17This population had only been discovered about ten years prior, making the encounter risky and speculative.

00:27The photographer had a magical and soulful interaction with the curious whales, who had never seen a human before.

01:24During one encounter, the photographer and his assistant spent about two and a half hours with one giant whale that swam over to them and stayed with them.

01:49The highlight of the experience was when the photographer knelt down and took a break, and the whale stopped, turned, and came back, as if waiting for him.