kinsly

photos by paul nicklen, who explains, “i have been traveling to northern baffin island for more than twelve years to try and get one underwater picture of a male narwhal. narwhals are very shy. they have a sensitive nature and excellent echolocation. you can see hundreds passing by the ice edge, but when you slip into the water, you may never see one.”

“but late one afternoon, i had been in the waterfor a couple of hours, and i was freezing so badly that my legs and arms were cramping up. i couldn’t feel my lips around my snorkel, so i just stared into the black 2,000 foot abyss trying not to think about how cold i was.

“then, out of the corner of my eye, i noticed something bright traveling through the murky water. i turned my head, and there they were: several male narwhals, swimming in beautiful formation. as i put my frozen finger on the shutter and …the narwhal closest to me let out a stream of bubbles. (seen in the middle photo).“