HUMPBACK WHALE DIVING DEEP
On our trip to Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, we traveled the Inside Passage by ferry twice, each voyage about 16 hours long. During the day we spent every possible moment on the outside deck, looking for whales and dolphins and at the passing mountains. On the return trip from Prince Rupert to Vancouver Island we counted 39 Humpback Whales!
The whales surface repeatedly for a deep breath while cruising near the surface. When the whale is ready for a deep dive it steeply arches its back (like a human would in diving from the surface), then the tail appears above the surface for a couple of seconds, dripping water from the flukes, before it disappears completely. Then it might be down deep for five or more minutes, and observers must guess where it might surface–often far from where it began the dive.
LOCATION: Inside Passage, British Columbia, Canada
SIZE: This photograph is printed at an approximate final size of a bit over 3x3,” and is printed on cotton rag photographic paper using pigmented inks for an estimated 400-year display life.
LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition produced by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.