This impressive series of photos capture the moment lucky whale watchers get up close and personal with the giant animals.
Whales emerge from the water to greet observers who had been patiently waiting for them to make an appearance.
Laurel Stiles, a retired teacher from Gardnerville in Nevada, USA, captured the moment a sailing boat full of people appeared to miss a humpback whale wafting off the coast of the Hawaii Lanai Island, near Maui.
Oskar Lehner captured fantastic footage of people on a boat tour having an extremely close encounter with grey whales at Laguna Oja de Liebre in Guerrero Negro, Mexico.
A group of whale watchers caught a swarm of frolicking grey whales, and their young after the majestic mammals pushed their boat around.
Wildlife photographer, John Goodridge, captured the stunning moment a pod of playful humpback whales was actually UP CLOSE and personal with a boat full of delighted tourists while on a viewing cruise out of Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.
The Yorkshire native – who moved to Australia 25 years ago – said it was one of the ‘best days’ of the entire whale season due to the close proximity of the mammals to the boats.
A happy couple of humpback whales have been caught performing a rare, mesmerizing DOUBLE act in front of a boat full of amazed tourists.
Photographer Rachelle Mackintosh captured the incredible moment aboard a Whale Watching cruise ship operating off the coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. “It was really a once-in-a-lifetime show, and at one point, the whales were so close I could even smell their breath,” she said.
A whale tried to disguise itself as a giant rock while pulling up beside a boat during migration.
Franco Banfi took these images to illustrate the long migration these whales endure through Baja California, Mexico on the Pacific coast. Nodules grow on the whale’s skin, which in this case makes the whale to appear rock-like.
A drone captured incredible footage of a grey whale pushing a boat. The playful whale – bigger than a boat – can be seen pushing it gently with its nose.
Jose G. Ruiz Cheires, who lives in Baja California Sur, Mexico, captured the epic scene while visiting a grey whale sanctuary. He said: “The whale got under the boat and rushed to the other shore to interact with tourists.
A drone captured the amazingly close encounter an expedition team had with a group of orcas. These sea giants can be seen swimming past the group on a boat near Sakhalin Island, Russia.
The images were taken by the expedition leader, Mike Korostelev in Moscow, Russia. “We were looking for orcas in the area to snorkel for six days,” said Mike.
A baby whale surprised snorkellers by jumping up and down to say hello. The interaction was captured on camera by freelance reporter Erez Beatus in Ha’apai, Tonga.
The group of scuba diving enthusiasts was clearly surprised when a humpback whale broke out of its pod to puncture the surface. “We floated when a mother rested below the surface while her baby occasionally came to the surface to breathe,” Erez said.
“The interaction was so soft and comfortable that neither of us expected it when suddenly the baby swam past me and intruded right between one of the guests and me.”
A pod of friendly whales got up close and personal with a boat full of dazed tourists to give them a magnificent aerobatic display full of every trick in the book.
Photographer John Goodridge took the pictures off Sydney Harbour, Australia and said: ‘The mesmerizing display of whales confidently emerges from the water just a few feet from the tour boat. The best performance he has seen this season.”
This is the spectacular moment when a giant humpback whale emerges from the water next to a boat full of amused tourists.
The stunning footage was captured by marine biologist Cassandra Smith while on a Sydney whale watching yacht operating near Bondi, New South Wales, Australia.
Whale, hello there! A boat full of tourists was delighted when the whales swam past to greet them – and one lucky photographer found a unique vantage point.
Mike Korostelev, who runs the conservation company Whale Watching Russia, captured these unique moments in the Pacific Ocean near Tonga. After interacting with the whales from the boat, Mike decided to get into the water to take some fantastic pictures.
The group was photographed waiting patiently with their cameras during a trip to the San Ignacio Lagoon, in Baja, Mexico, but nearly missed the spectacular encounter while looking in the opposite direction while the whale was less than a foot away from their boat.
The whales appeared overjoyed to see humans for the first time in months as they made a majestic return to Australia’s shores.
Photographer John Goodridge said an exhilarating atmosphere on the Go Whale Watching cruise finally set sail once more out of Sydney Harbour, New South Wales. He said the stunning whales seemed to be just as thrilled to see the boat filled with tourists as eager as they were to see them.
This newborn humpback whale calf showed off his mother during annual migration return – by jabbing just meters from a load of tourist boats.
Jonas Liebschner captured these incredible photos of the ‘frisky’ mammal while on a whale-watching cruise at the entrance to Sydney Harbour, Australia.
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