SLAPPY
This gorgeous humpback whale calf and I have quite the story... During the 2023 whale season, I first met her when she was barely a week old. She was quite shy, staying at a distance and not interacting with me in any way. Her mother was not worried about my presence, but her calf wouldn't leave her side except for a quick breath at the surface before going back down.
I had the chance to meet her several times after that over a three-week period. I was able to see her grow (they grow really rapidly at that stage). Things would soon change...
She gradually became more and more comfortable around me as time went by, starting to make eye contact with me and displaying playful behavior. But still, she stayed at a safe distance, not far from her mother.
This evolved even further...
After about two weeks, she became the most playful, fearless, and affectionate calf I had ever seen.
On our last three encounters, she would come straight to me, often making physical contact (My general rule is not to touch wildlife, but she swims faster than me!). She would follow me around, catch up, and gently wave her pectoral fins in my face... which feels like a slap as we're talking about a one ton wild animal.
This behavior earned her the name "Slappy"!
Slappy and I played for hours during our last moments together, to the point where I would just drop my camera and play with her, focusing on living the moment to the fullest. I knew that soon enough, she would be gone, following her mother back to the Antarctic.
This image was taken during one of our final moments... I hope to see her again someday!
"Stare into the abyss, and it stares back at you."
Far from the original quote from Nietzsche's "Beyond good and evil", this has now a whole different meaning for a lot of people. This is about diving deep into our darker side, where lies our deepest fears and secrets. The part of us we hide even to ourselves.
This is about struggling to reach the light in our lives.
This is about the nights we spend sleepless, deprived of the relief we desperately seek, even for a moment. This is about being tired and wanting to give in to the voices in our heads, in our hearts. About wanting to drink that poison when no one is watching. This is about getting closer and closer to the edge.
This is about contemplating the colorless void. Diving a little deeper, forgetting about the surface and the warmth of the sun. Embracing the abyss and finding comfort in the darkness. Dissolving to exist in a deafening silence.
We are safe now.
LIVING AMONGST ANGELS
Angels do exist. I have met them.
This image was taken during my very first encounter with manta rays, after having dreamed about them for years.
It finally happened, a year after I moved to Tahiti. This was shot in a very small Polynesian island, called Maupiti, which is part of the windwards islands.
The water was very opaque, due to the recent large swell, giving it this milky look. That made that encounter even more magical, as the rays were suddenly appearing and disappearing through the dark waters like ghostly creatures. This is the feeling I wanted to emphasize in this edit.
This particular place is called a cleaning station. Manta rays come and stop there to get some cleaning done by the fishes living on nearby corals.
This is how they get rid of parasites. I was just laying on my back on the sea floor at about ten meters deep, trying not to breath too much so they wouldn't be
disturbed with my bubbles. I managed to stay that way for an hour and a half, which seemed like an eternity, watching these angels dancing in the dark.
I am so grateful for that experience and still dream about it.
Manta rays have a mesmerizing way of moving... they appear to be flying, slowly and gracefully. They are true giants, with an average span of four meters.
You can't help but feeling very humbled by them, astonished by their beauty and gentleness.
