While diving to film humpback whales, a Vietnamese photographer almost collided with the "giants of the ocean".
In mid-July, Nguyen Ngoc Thien, a photographer in Ho Chi Minh City, and a group of diving enthusiasts applied for visas themselves and took a trip to the East African sea to dive and film humpback whales. They are the prototypes of the giant whale pod in the world-famous movie Avatar 2: The Way of Water.
Two mother and baby humpback whales on Thien's expedition.
Thien is the only Vietnamese author to win the "International Ocean Photography 2023" contest in the categories "Coral Reefs of the World" and "Portrait of Marine Animals". Over the years, Thien has studied the biological characteristics and behaviors of humpback whales, a species that lives and feeds mainly in cold seas near the South Pole and the North Pole. Around June to October every year, they begin to migrate to temperate and tropical seas to find a mate, give birth and raise their young. Researchers have collected detailed data to create distribution maps as well as migration routes of humpback whale pods across the oceans.
Thanks to that, Thien's group can determine the places where humpback whales migrate to, one of which is the East African sea between the Madagascar triangle, the Reunion Islands (France) and the island nation of Mauritius.
East Africa is located in the southern hemisphere, so July is the time when this sea area begins to enter winter. The average temperature drops to about 18 - 23 degrees, the sea temperature drops to about 20 - 21 degrees, the sea is rough, the waves are big, there is a lot of wind with sudden thunderstorms and poor visibility. Thien's group hired a boat and a local guide to go diving. Going out to sea at this time encountered many difficulties, some people in the group got seasick and had to lie on the deck of the ship.
Although humpback whales are quite gentle and friendly, during the breeding season, they become sensitive, alert and can attack creatures that come close to them to protect their young. The head of the whale has bumps with a pair of pectoral fins that can be up to 5 m long, accounting for 1/3 of the total body length, flexible and strong. On their fins, there are often many barnacles with sharp shells, which can cause serious injuries to humans and other animals. In addition, humpback whales often jump out of the water and accidentally hit boats or divers below, which is also one of the risks that can be encountered.
To ensure safety and the most effective approach to filming, divers should follow the instructions of local divers. After using binoculars to observe the water columns rising from a distance due to whale breathing or using underwater sonar to detect the location, divers should wait for the right time when the mother and calf feel most comfortable to approach and ensure to maintain a minimum distance of 10 m.
For Mr. Thien, the humpback whale is one of the largest and most beautiful animals in the ocean. This species of baleen whale is 13 - 17 meters long and weighs about 30 - 50 tons, with a black or gray upper body, while the belly is white.
Looking down from above through the thin water, Mr. Thien caught sight of a mother and baby humpback whale gliding gently below. "The mother whale's tail was hidden under the calm sea surface, but it accidentally parted the water into the shape of another, larger tail. Waves, sea foam, and light combined to create the poetry of the ocean," Mr. Thien said.
In the photos taken by Mr. Thien from above, the size of a humpback whale can be nearly 20 times larger than a human, not to mention its weight.
One of the most impressive and "terrifying" moments of Mr. Thien was the time he "encountered" at close range (about 5m) with a mother and baby humpback whale. While Mr. Thien was swimming parallel and keeping a distance to record, the mother and baby whales suddenly changed direction, swimming straight towards the camera lens. "At that time, I felt like I was only a few seconds away from being knocked away, even if I reacted, it would be too late," he said. But fortunately, they did not attack but gently dived below Mr. Thien. The distance was so close that in a split second, his body was swept away by the current created by their giant fins moving. In return, Mr. Thien was able to press the camera to record the rare moment.
Humpback whales also migrate through the East Sea and have been encountered many times by fishermen and divers. In 1994, people in Hai Cuong commune (Hai Hau, Nam Dinh) excavated an 18-meter-long humpback whale skeleton and handed it over to the Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography for preservation.
To increase the probability of success for diving with marine animals, Mr. Thien often takes steps such as checking the weather forecast, water temperature, currents, wind speed of that day; learning about the landscape and underwater ecosystem of the diving area; learning about the biological characteristics and habits of the marine creatures he wants to film; fully preparing and carefully checking diving equipment (diving batteries, glasses, snorkel, lead belt, diving suit) and underwater photography, filming, and lighting equipment. Pay special attention to the risks that may be encountered and strictly follow the instructions of the tour guide or local diver.
Humpback whales were hunted by Western whalers for their blubber industry since the 17th century. In 1966, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial hunting of humpback whales. Thien hopes that the footage and images capturing the beauty of humpback whales will help spread awareness about the conservation of this species as well as the message of a friendly lifestyle in balance with nature. In the future, he plans to continue exploring the cold seas of the Southern Hemisphere.
Quynh Mai
Photo courtesy of NVCC
Source: World Atlas
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