banner of a woman underwater with a whale

Under the Waves with Karim Iliya, March 2019

 
This month’s feature:
 
Whale underwater with a woman freediving
 
Iʼve seen my good friend Marina have the most amazing interactions with all sorts of creatures including turtles which are often uninterested in humans. She could capture the attention of a sea cucumber and it would be mesmerizing to watch; so when she finally came out to Tonga to freedive with humpback whales, the gods of the sea, I was pretty excited. This was one of the most beautiful interactions Iʼve seen between a human and another another animal.
 
 

 

Karim Iliya Logo

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 betweenAugust and October every year in Tonga. Visitwww.dancewithwhales.com to find out more

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