A humpback whale calf playing at the surface, just over the reef in Mo'orea (French Polynesia).
This picture was taken early in the morning, while the sun was rising above the island's mountains.
Witnessing a whale's first moments is a once in a life time experience. A mystical, deeply touching one. They're often very curious and playful, discovering their new environment. And the creatures in it, involving you!
This particular calf was swimming in circles around me, while its mother was watching closely (she was on the left when I took that picture) to be sure I wasn't a threat to her newborn.
When mothers decide you're not a dangerous creature and let these one ton, four meters long babies play around, you got a front row seat for one of the most spectacular show Nature has to offer.
I've been obsessed with waves for a long time, both as a surfer and an ocean photographer.
Besides their sheer beauty and display of power, there is something deeply mystical about them. The sound, the way light reflects on them... but also the humbling realization that our time here is only temporary.
Like a ticking clock, waves remind us of the passage of time. All of what we are, our very beings, our life experiences... all will eventually fade. The ocean will remain as our history will be forgotten.
To me, they are a great reminder that we should make the most out of the time we have. Time never stops and every passing moment is gone forever.
« …then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago. »
H. Melville.
Black tips reef sharks are the most common shark species you'll meet in French Polynesia. They are called "Mao mauri" in Tahitian, and a lot of legends mention them.
My love for sharks started with them, as soon as I've had moved to French Polynesia. Swimming with them was on top of my to-do list. Now i do it whenever I get the chance, which fortunately is quite often.
They tend to be quite shy and don't get close, unless in large groups, where they can get quite curious and come a little closer... or much closer!
Being out in the blue, surrounded by sharks is a gorgeous experience to have. The kind of moment that gets you hooked and keeps having you coming back for more.
This image was taken on a sunny day at noon while I was looking for tiger sharks. That made for those beautiful reflections on their skins.
Ever wondered what it's like to sit on top of a 7m wave?
Come and sit, let me describe it to you...
It's dark, the atmosphere is full of droplets, blown away by the winds... the air is almost liquid and becomes hard to breath. everything is moving around you, as the wave arrives. The ocean itself is sucked away from the reef.
Try to picture a massive, dark mountain of water, coming at you at a constant pace. And then it gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger... until it breaks. Like a crazy waterfall, tons of water suddenly drop.
And then, there's the sound.
Have you ever been outside during a thunderstorm? Feeling the thunder in your chest, almost as a second heart? Being torn apart between fascination and fear? Try to picture that feeling, when lightnings strike way too close...
This is the moment you are looking at right now, something that could so easily kill you, that you've never felt so alive before.
As for the title, this is what "Teahupo'o" means in Tahitian.
A mother and her calf resting near the surface on a beautiful sunny day.
This whale was very serene about our presence, and we were able to stay quite a while with them. The fact that this mother didn't position herself between us and her calf shows that she was quite comfortable and trustful.
I wanted to try something a bit different that time, a way to show both worlds at the same time, with what is called a split shot.
These are always tricky to pull off. Ideally you'd need some very still water (that you don't have out there in the high sea), but I managed to get this image that I love.
To me, it shows that our worlds are really connected and depends upon each other.
VISION
Probably one of my dearest memory to date... one that still haunts my dreams and make me go in the water as much as I can ever since.
Three whales casually swimming in the afternoon, coming for a closer look. I was lucky enough to be by myself in the water that time, so I was able to fully enjoy this interaction with them.
By nature, whales are curious and intelligent beings. They will approach you if you let them do instead of rushing them. They make eye contact with you, which is a feeling so overwhelming that it 's hard to express it with words.
That kind of moment makes you feel so small and humble, yet so alive! We are lucky to have the possibility to experience their presence in the water. We should be grateful for what the Ocean provides us with.
We are the lucky ones.
PURITY
A rainy morning in Tahiti, while whale season was coming to an end.
This wasn't just any morning to be honest... It was my 40th birthday! As we were sailing along the Tahitian coasts looking for whales, I had the time to think.
It is strange that life depends on a multitude of minor choices. How many of them drove me to capture this image?
Growing up by the ocean led me to live in Tahiti. Being there led me to be obsessed with photography... and many other minor life choices led me to this morning, being right in front of this whale breaching, and capturing it. Any choices I've ever made led me to be there, at this instant, witnessing this majestic animal.
Have I made one different choice along the way, I could have been anywhere else in the world, doing something else, even being someone very different from who I am now.
I couldn't have asked for more that day. I understood for somewhere along my life path, I've made some good choices.
EPILOGUE
As whales season was coming to an end, I went for one more swim on the east coast of Tahiti on a Sunday morning.
A sunny day as you can tell from the sun rays coming through the water.
This mother is the largest humpback whale I have ever seen. Keep in mind that her calf (about a month old) is around 5 meters long...
I have no clue what her age could be, but definitely not a young one! She was very confident around me, letting her calf come a few times to have a closer look. Young mothers are way more protective, but this one seemed to have seen it all before, and stayed around for about two hours.
It is hard to describe the feeling you get when such a massive creature shows trust toward you... a very humbling experience.
We could learn a lot from these amazing animals.
What a beautiful way to end the 2021 whale season!
CATHARSIS
This image represents a new perspective for me.
I am quite used to see whales from underwater, which is already a beautiful experience!
This time, I went to discover them from the air, and witnessed that wonderful moment between a mother and her calf, breathing at the surface.
The sand in this area (called "Matavai Bay") is black, which gives these deep dark tones to the water. That contrasts a lot with the usual white sand and turquoise blues you often see from French Polynesia.
Little Tahitian fact : this was the place where captain Samuel Wallis arrived on June the 17th of 1767. It was the very first contact between the Polynesian people and europeans.
Were there whales in the bay that day?
REDEMPTION
This image is quite special to me...
I grew up in a split family. As did millions of people from my generation. As the years went by, I've dealt with it and lived my life.
But somehow, there was always an empty spot in me, a void that couldn't be filled. To this day, I'm still very sensitive to anything evocative of a family that stands together, not being torn apart by anger and resentment.
The closer I ever get to feeling complete is by being in the ocean, surrounded by its inhabitants. There is something really pure and simple beneath the surface, something we, as humans, turned our back onto a long time ago.
This time, no stories or legends to hide behind...
This is me, a random grown-up child, putting my insecurities out there into my art, for everyone to see, and hopefully connect to.
On this image, a calf is being pushed toward the surface by his mother, as a male escort them. As a united family.
Guardian
In the beginning of time, the big blue shark, Te Ma’o Purotu, was the favorite shark of the god Ta’aroa, master of the underwater world. He lived in Purotu, the sacred land located in the depths of the sea. He often rose to the surface and swam close to the beach, to feed on algae and play with children.
But one day, humans started to fear the shark that could have the evil intent to eat them.
During a hunt led by two warriors who were out to kill him, the shark was injured and seemed to die.
The gods Ta’aroa and Tū, angry at this injustice, lifted him into the sky. This is how the shark was brought back to life in the original sacred waters of Te-vai-ora, the celestial domain of the god Tāne.
He became the guardian under his new name, Fa’arava-i-te-ra’i.
