21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Confrontation

One female humpback whale did not run away from us and swam with us for a while. She often came right at us, but for some reason did not try to avoid us until the very last minute. Was it a test to see which of us would get away first? She would come so close that we could almost reach her (without touching her from us, of course), but it would be us humans who would escape first.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Neiafu, Tonga
Camera: NIKON D800
Copyright: © Daisuke Kurashima