WorldOrcas

male orca “crooked fin” in narooma, 2009. crooked fin is consdiered “known” to the australian orca database as he has been resighted multiple times. photo by jon poyner

A male orca surfaces as he and his pod round up a school of herring. For a few weeks in the winter, the water under the cold northern Norwegian fjords boils with millions of herring. After the summer plankton blooms die off, the herring enter these fjords to spend the winter months. During that time they do not feed and instead try to dive deep to avoid predation. The orcas make huge efforts to drive the herring to the surface, where they keep the schools close to shore. When conditions are right, the fish find themselves in shallow water and pinned close to shore where orcas, humpbacks and seabirds gorge themselves on the helpless fish. With @paulnicklen @goranehlme @sea_legacy @waterproofinternational @natgeocreative #sunset #beauty #nature #sonycamera #SonyA7RII by cristinamittermeier http://ift.tt/1Kg27dc

I have been fortunate to have had many orcas swim to within ten feet of me while diving or snorkeling but I have never had a huge male swim within two feet of me. I sucked in my stomach, pulled my housing into my body, and lifted my fins so nothing would touch this huge male as he came in for close inspection. I blindly snapped off a couple of shots on my ultra-wide 16mm lens but I never looked through the viewfinder as I never wanted to miss a second. He swam past Goran Ehlme and I numerous times. It was never scary but rather, incredibly humbling and very special. It is moments like this that I will remember when I look back on this journey through nature. 

Underwater images of Japanese resident Orca, captured by nature photographer Masayuki Miyamoto.

And damn, what a beautiful eye! Staring right into ya.