Boat Has Extremely Close Call with 40 Ton Humpback Whale

During the annual migration of humpback whales to Antarctica, Craig Parry, a nature photographer from Byron Bay, Australia, photographs the leviathans as they pass by.

On the way back to shore on a recent trip, he and his father had an experience of a lifetime, which they captured on film for Barcroft TV. 

“I could see a blow on the horizon and then all of sudden I looked over the side of the boat and could see his head coming striaght toward me,” Parry said. “Dad was hanging on, letting off profanities, I was there with my camera, almost tipped over the boat.”

“I couldn’t control my excitement,” he went on. “One stuck its head out of the water, the other slapping its fin. It was just constant circling, circling.”

The whales stayed near the boat for about an hour and a half, giving Parry plenty of time to get some stunning overhead shots with an aerial drone.

“I was so lucky to have that hour and a half to film them,” he said. “When they emerged from the water I felt an adrenaline rush of excitement and probably a little bit of fear. To witness something like that was a once in a lifetime, and to have my father with me as well made it even better.”

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