Whales, Waves and Mammone
2025 French Polynesia Recap
I had yet another wonderful season in French Polynesia swimming with humpback whales. When I first arrived at Rurutu, a little hidden island gem, the air was surprisingly cool, but the whales I met more than made up for it.
No matter how much time I spend in the water with humpbacks, I always see new things. There was a beautiful juvenile whale playing with us over shallow coral, and then I saw something I never expected. We came across a giant calf who had stayed with his mother much longer than the normal one year.
He was at least double the size of a regular calf but acted just the same. We called him “Mammone,” the Italian term for a man who still lives with and relies on his mother long into adulthood.
Aside from the whales, I also spent a significant amount of time photographing heron fishing along the breaking waves. For years i’ve been trying to capture an image of one of these birds with a fish in its mouth, the setting sun, and a breaking wave. It’s very difficult to get everything lined up, but i’ve enjoyed the process and gotten some images along the way that i’m very happy with.
It’s always a privilege to spend time in French Polynesia, to be in the sun, water, and amongst the fantastic people who live here.
Here are some of my favorite shots from this year’s trip:
Thank you so much for being with me on this journey. It means a lot to be able to share these moments with you.
Karim
