fashion, these acrobatic female humpback whales seem
to fly with the nimble grace of a dolphin a fraction of their size.
Leaping out of the water in majestic
This picture shows a 50ft, 45-ton humpback fully
breaching the water - it's nose reaching 40ft in the air.
Wildlife photographer Jon Cornforth stood just 30
feet from the gentle giants to capture these amazing images.
Majestic: A female humpback whale breaches the
waters at Frederick Sound in the Alexander Archipelago
, south-east Alaska
Feeding frenzy: Humpback whales catch herring in a
'bubble-net' near Angoon in Frederick Sound, in the
Alexander Archipelago, south-east Alaska
Mr Cornforth, 39, from Seattle, took the breathtaking
photos during a visit Frederick Sound, near south-east
Alaska. 'They really are fantastic creatures to get so
up close to,' he said.
'They are extremely curious creatures - they are
interested in us just like we're interested in them.
'There was a moment when one actually came up
underneath me and looked like it might try to swallow
one of the the boats.
'But luckily they're far too clever to mistake a
boat for their usual prey.'
The pictures also show the sisterhood of the sea
beasts 'bubble net' feeding. The whales feed from
huge shoals of herring that spawn in the area by
acting in concert to herd the fish.
One or two plunge up to 500ft underwater and blow
air bubbles in a circular pattern, trapping their prey
so the rest of the 12-strong group can scoop up them up.
Behemoths: Mr Cornforth watched the whales for over
12 weeks over a period of four years to take these photos
Ritual: The entirely female group gathers at the same
spot at the same time each year
Belly flop: The 45-ton whales seem to be able to throw
themselves through the air as nimbly as a performing dolphin
The entirely female group forms on the exact same spot each year, AND
each creature performs exactly the same role in hunting each time.
'It's a mystery as to why females come together in this way,'
said Mr Cornforth. 'They may have a matriarchal society like some
groups of killer whales.
'I've seen the same females perform the same job of diving down to
create the bubble net time after time.
'The bubble net is created far below the surface and can be as big as
75m in diameter - in order to catch the enormous herring swarms.
'They are such powerful animals that they can do this every
four to five minutes for as long as ten hours.'
Moby click: Photographer Jon Cornforth takes
pictures of the breaching humpback whales
Mr Cornforth watched the whales for over 12 weeks over a
period of four years to take these photos. On his most recent trip,
he had to travel 120 miles by boat and spent three days relentlessly
searching the ocean to finally find his prize.
'Humpback whales are incredible mammals,' he said.
'They rise above the water for only a second - and then
they vanish into the waves once again.
'It's brief, but breathtaking - and worth all the effort.
When people see these pictures I hope they get a sense
of just how glorious it is to be in their presence.'
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