Having A Whale Of A Time

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.'