Karim Iliya in Tonga

The underwater world is a magical place. Only In outer space and underwater are you free to move in any direction you choose. Up or down, it does not matter. It is a strange world that very few people spend time in, and yet it is fascinating and full of mysteries. There are animals that seem to have super powers like sperm whales that use sonar to navigate in darkness and paralyze giant squid for food. There are colonies of coral that battle at night and jellyfish with bioluminescence. But my favorite my favorite animals are the the humpback whales that gather together for signing, fighting, mating, and raising their young. They are giants, growing the size of buses, 15 meters long, with a 5 meter tail, and  5 meter fins, and yet they are possibly the most gentle and kind animals in the water. 

To explore the underwater world, I practice the art of freediving. Freediving is when you dive down on a single breath of air without any scuba equipment. With only mask, snorkle, wetsuit, weightbelt and very long fins, I take a deep breath and plunge into the ocean. 

The underwater  world is my favorite place to be. For 1 to 2 minutes,  my body is weightless, my camera is weightless, and the animals that move around are strange and beautiful. Light beams dance as breaking waves move like storms, and turtles feed on on the grasses below. And then I must breathe. I come up to the surface take some deep breaths, and go back down to explore. In a few places on Earth like Hawaii and Tonga, large populations of thousands of Humpback whales ritually gather. Humpbacks live much of the time in cold waters like Antarctica, Alaska, Canada, and the Arctic where there is abundant food like krill. They work together to create  bubble nets to herd the krill and small fish into a tight area, fill their mouth with the food and water, and then push the water out through toothlike structure’s called Baleen.  During the winter months, they travel across the Oceans to the warm protected waters of Hawaii, Tonga, and other islands in the South Pacific to breed and have their babies

Living in Hawaii, I spent the winter or 2014 watching whales from a boat. Jumping, playing and fighting. I was fascinated by these animals and wanted to swim with them, yet the laws meant I had to stay on the boat and watch them from above. It has been said that studying whales from a boat is like studying monkey’s from a plane. In August 2014, I packed my underwater camera gear and  flew to Tonga to join a boat expedition with a permit  to finally swim with the humpbacks. 

There was nothing that could have prepared my for the experience. Whales are Mammals. Like us, they teach and care for their young. They are also highly intelligent and often inquisitive. Each one has a completely different personality. Humpback whales will interact with you and display a multitude of emotions and expressions like curiosity and compassion. The adults are regal, stoic creatures, the size of buses, 15 meters in length, their faces etched with wisdom, their bodies scarred from battles in one of the most dynamic mating rituals in nature. The babies are often curious, clumsy, and playful. Every interaction is different, and each humpback displays different personality traits. It seems you can see their expressions change and feel their emotions conveyed through their facial expressions and body language. Though the size of buses, they are very gentle and kind, controlled in their movements. Humpbacks are one of the most beautiful and graceful creatures. They glide through the water, and move with perfect precision fully aware of their size. Sometimes they look like birds, flapping long wing like fins and gliding across a blue landscape. A mother whale can look like a space ship, stationary, her baby protected under her fin coming up to the surface for air before taking shelter beneath the fin again. They can make sharp turns, and breach the surface of the water. Not only that, like humans, their moods change. Some mother’s are cautious and careful with their babies, while others are very relaxed.  Every  interaction is completely different. 

When I finally got into the water with the humpbacks, I was filled with unexplainable emotions. Looking into a whale’s eye, I felt a strong connection and realized how unique and important these creatures are. We almost hunted these animals to extinction. There are whales alive today that watched their companions slaughtered by humans for the oil in their fat, and yet they are very gentle and kind.

My first experience with a baby humpback whale was to come across a sleeping mother. The baby was under her fin, with it’s face popping up looking at my and my 3 companions curiously. We smiled and waved, and finally it’s curiosity was strong, and it approached us. This baby was approximately 1 week old, and 4.5 meters long. It was entirely white, and yet it looked old and wise. It rolled on it’s back and played, with us happily, until suddenly the energy changed. The mother had woken up. Everything stopped. We felt a powerful energy, and like a submarine she rose to the surface. We found ourselves face to face with a 15 meter long animal. It was a very humble experience. It was clear that she was the boss. After some moments of inspecting us, she seemed to approve, closed her eye and went back to the depths sleep. 

In another moment, me and my two companions got in the water with a battle. It was a group of male humpbacks led by a female whale, battling for mating rights.  With a deep breath I jumped beneath the torrent of bubbles from the boat wake. I swam deep down, calming my racing heart to conserve the oxygen in my lungs, and then I saw them. Four fully grown whales. I stopped swimming, and stayed suspended in water. I watched as the whales cruised by, one blowing a stream of bubbles. Suddenly two broke off and started smashing into each other, twirling and turning, their tails whipping around. Animals the size of buses fighting underwater. It was silent but my brain filled in the sounds. I watched, suspended in the water, as they got closer and closer. It was only then that I had envisioned being smashed between two giants animals, an unintended casualty of the need to procreate. I forgot all about oxygen and the cold. I stopped taking pictures when one whale smashed the other, and a 5 meter tail whipped passed me.  I could do nothing but watch the chaos around me. I braced myself for pulverization, but just at the moment before impact, the two whales split apart, and gracefully flew past me, the closest at less than an arms length away. The whales knew I was there, and even in their struggle, made sure not to crush the delicate little creature in rubber suit, floating in the water. When I look back at the last few pictures, it’s very clear that the whale that nearly smashed into me was looking at me. They were aware of my presence, and made a conscious effort, going out of their way not to hurt me.  I have been told this happens again and again. Humpback whales will make great efforts to be careful not to hurt humans, even when they are fighting. This was a powerful humbling experience, in which we humans can learn something from these gentle animals.  The same whales who battle during mating season, will work together in the colder waters of their feeding grounds. 

I have become extremely passionate about whales. During my time with the humpbacks, I felt everything from humility, fear, love, amazement, and excitement. I saw them interact with dolphins, and watched young whales engage in romantic courtship. They are  It is extremely important to protect our marine ecosystems and the creatures that live with in them.  In my photography, I try to show intimate moments, interactions, and expressions in order to make people realized that these gentle giants are not dangerous beasts, and that we cannot afford to lose them When you look into space, most of it is devoid of life,  full of harmful radiation, cold, dark, and hostile. This planet is a paradise oasis in an enormous cosmic desert. Lets do our best to protect it. 

Karim was published in National Geographic magazine for his humpback whale photography. He now leads his own trips so that others can swim with whales.

If you are interested in swimming with or photographing humpback whales, Karim guides people in small trips between  August and October every year in Tonga. Visit www.dancewithwhales.com to find out more

To see more of Karim’s work, visit his website at www.karimphotography.com

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