Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Humpback whale fluke

I often find myself searching for the proper adjectives to describe these types of encounters with Humpback whales. The words exist yet they stall at the tip of your tongue. It is so emotionally moving to share the waters with these sentient ocean leviathans...a creature who is equally curious about you as you are of it. This Humpback calf rolled and frolicked at the surface, swishing it's giant fluke before returning back down to mom resting below.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2019
Date Uploaded: 08.2019
Photo Location: n/a Open water, Tonga
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Copyright: © Shane Keena