Photograph by @paulnicklen for @natgeo. Happy #WorldOceanDay !!! This is by far, one of the greatest experiences I have ever had in my life. It was a very windy day in the fjords of Northern Norway in the heart of winter at 69 degrees North. The seas were rough and with the sun still below the horizon at noon, the light was challenging. The water was very dark and the air temperature was -5c. My friend, Göran Ehlme, @cristinamittermeier and I did not expect to witness anything on this challenging day but we decided to face the weather anyway. In the distance, we saw a pod of orcas coming towards us. We put the boat in neutral and half heartedly put our masks and fins on, not expecting to see much. As the orcas approached the boat, we gently slipped into the 8 foot seas. At first, we just got tossed around and did not see anything. Then we surged up on the crest of the wave and saw several large, tall dorsal fins coming towards us on the surface. When we went from the crest of the wave to the bottom (or trough) and put our masks underwater, there they were…all 12, black and white, sleek and powerful predators casually swimming towards us. I did not want to miss a thing so I quickly framed up the shot, began shooting and then peeked over my underwater camera housing to watch perhaps the most beautiful moment I have ever witnessed underwater. As quickly as they appeared, they were gone. Since I was a teenager, I have dreamed of being in the #ocean with the most awe-inspiring top predators on this planet and in this moment, it happened in spades. There is a much better frame than this that @natgeo will be publishing soon in National Geographic Magazine. So please follow me on @paulnicklen to see more from this incredible moment. I will post the better image on my site when the story is about to be published. Be sure to check out @natgeo’s #Pristineseas as they are a project working to help protect the last wild places in the ocean. With @sea_legacy #GoranEhlme, @Waterproofinternational @seacam @natgeocreative #gratitude #orca #killerwhales #keepitwild #adventure #beautiful #photooftheday
0 comments :
Post a Comment