Aftermath of a Humpback Whale Breach

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are big, with typical adults being over 15m in length and exceeding 30 metric tons in mass. And yet, they can be surprisingly difficult to photograph when they launch themselves out of the ocean in an acrobatic maneuver called breaching. They can appear without warning, remain airborne for a brief moment, then crash back into the ocean with a loud thwack and mountains of spray. This image is one of my early failed attempts to capture this breathtaking display of athletic power. Photographed in the Kingdom of Tonga.

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Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 3504x2336 / 46.9MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Whale Cetacean Humpback Whale Southern Humpback Whale Animalia Chordata Mammalia Eutheria Cetacea Mysticeti Balaenopteridae Megaptera novaeangliae Megaptera novaeangliae australis Cetartiodactyla Baleen Whale CITES Appendix 1 Filter Feeder Marine Mammal Mysticete Rorqual Breaching South Pacific Tonga Vava'u
Contained in galleries: Humpback Whale Activity

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are big, with typical adults being over 15m in length and exceeding 30 metric tons in mass. And yet, they can be surprisingly difficult to photograph when they launch themselves out of the ocean in an acrobatic maneuver called breaching. They can appear without warning, remain airborne for a brief moment, then crash back into the ocean with a loud thwack and mountains of spray. This image is one of my early failed attempts to capture this breathtaking display of athletic power. Photographed in the Kingdom of Tonga.