Underwater photographer Álvaro Herrero, aka “Mekan,” captured the jaw-dropping moment a humpback whale repeatedly breached the water right in front of him in French Polynesia. The breathtaking footage is all at once frightening and exhilarating, especially as one breach came dangerously close.
The video is only about a minute long and shows a first-person point of view of a baby humpback whale breaching the water twice before its mother suddenly emerges mere feet from the divers. She proceeds to leap out of the sea right at them, narrowly missing them. The footage then follows the whales as they submerge and gracefully swim underwater in a display that is both carefree and absolutely breathtaking. This short glimpse is a reminder of the power and beauty of the animals that call the ocean home. We don’t often see them, unless they emerge in a glorious fashion, but they have a whole life under the sea.
Luckily, there are photographers like Herrero who bring their beauty to the forefront. As a regular diver and photographer, his portfolio is filled with majestic portraits of these sea giants. French Polynesia is also where Herrero won Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 for a photo of a mother humpback and her newborn calf. Humpback whales can reach lengths of 14-17 meters (approximately 45-55 feet) and they can weigh up to 40 tons. Herrero estimates the adult he encountered was 30 tons.
To see more from the underwater photographer, you can follow Álvaro Herrero on Instagram.
Underwater photographer Álvaro Herrero captured an incredible encounter with a humpback whale.
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Álvaro Herrero: Website | Instagram
Source: Underneath a Breaching Humpback Whale
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