14th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Breaching humpback whale while riding out to Great Barrier Reef

I was on a snorkeling tour heading from Port Douglas, Australia to the Great Barrier Reef. On the way there the captain stopped the boat and announced a mother whale and her calf were in the area. We stayed to watch them swim near the boat, the mother whale helping the calf surface to breathe and near the end the mother whale breached out of the water close to the boat.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2016
Date Uploaded: 09.2016
Photo Location: Port Douglas, Australia
Camera: SJ4000WIFI
Copyright: © Mario Chicas