Starcruisers

You would think that at over 20 meters in length and 70 tons it might be difficult to photobomb. This fin whale showed that size is just a number.



Unlike toothed whales, fin whales have baleen inside their mouths. These bristly plates are made of keratin and act as a sieve when feeding. They are the second largest species in the world and are known as the “greyhounds of the sea” for the speed at which they swim – up to 45 kph.



Orcas off Norway engage in carousel feeding, a technique in which a pod locates a school of herring, surrounds the fish to shape them into a bait ball before feeding. On rare occasions, opportunists arrive on scene to add energy to an already hectic situation.



Enter the baleens.



I was on the edge of the ball of herring watching an orca circle when I spotted a massive figure emerging from the darkness below. Between my focus on the whale and my goggles limiting my peripheral vision, I hadn’t noticed the second giant heading directly towards me. I saw a gray flash below before I looked down to see the fin whale just a meter under my fins. After cursing into my snorkel, I was able to turn my camera down to capture this shot. Even at 15mm, the scale of these animals is staggering.



Normally, particles in the water can act as a distraction, but here they help tell the story. The spots glistening are the scales of the herring that have been eaten by the orcas. When I was looking into the depths it was impossible not to draw parallels with looking up at the night sky. It reminded me that despite the obvious outward differences, we are all made of the same elements as the stars in the cosmos.



Fin whales have been commercially hunted, with the whaling industry killing almost 900,000 worldwide in the 20th century. While hunting has largely subsided, Norway, Japan, and Iceland continue their operations today. Fin whales are still considered an endangered species.