Paul Nicklen, a Canadian photographer, filmmaker and Marine biologist, has recently taken a photo of a sperm whale in Dominican international waters.
On his official Facebook page, he wrote, “After desiring the possibility of swimming with sperm whales for most of my life, Cristina and I finally got to snap a mother-daughter duo in the Caribbean waters of Dominica“.
He stated that their primary goal was to capture a close picture of the mother-daughter sperm whale without disturbing the other whales’ presence in the region.
Nicklen remarked that everything went according to plan as they captured an astonishing whale photograph. It was seen that the whale was throwing water out of her blowhole present at the top of their heads.
He wrote, “Ariel,” as she was known to biologists, had me folded over laughing while she mugged my camera and playfully pursued me everywhere.”
Unlike other fishes, Whales and dolphins are mammals who breathe air through their lungs just like humans. They cannot breathe underwater like other fishes because they do not have gills.
So they breathe through their nostril called blowholes present on the top of their head. They came to the surface to inhale fresh air and exhale stored air.
Dominica is the only country on the planet where Sperm whales can be seen yearly. The encounters are most common between March and November. The most popular diving points to discover this giant animal are Roseau, Scotts Head, Point Round and Layou.
Still, it is difficult to get a permit to photograph a sperm whale or swim with it. Only skilled divers were allowed to swim with whales; sometimes, they had to wait for a long time for their turn.
Only three sites are available on the planet where an individual can swim with sperm whales. Dominica is counted as the best among them, yet the island’s government has a strict permitting process.
