New Born Sperm Whales, The Azores

The pod moved from the wind strewn ocean to the sheltered waters in the lee of the volcano Pico. That night two brand new calves entered the world. The pod was moving slowly when we saw them the next morning. The calves swimming with a short jerky motion and thrusting their blowholes high out of the water to breathe.

Folded dorsals and vertical creases on the body betrayed their recent liberation from the womb.

Baby sitting was left the two males as the females plunged deep into the abyss to feed on squid. During shallow dives, the calves nuzzled the underside of the males working in

vain for milk.

Photographs - Top to Bottom

1. A new born calf approaches my camera

2. The pod dives

3. A new born suckles in vain on a

male

Sperm Whale and Diver, The Azores

In the deep blue waters of the mid-Atlantic near the volcanic islands of the Azores, a sperm whale comes eye to eye with a diver. Its curiosity aroused by the human figure, the whale stopped swimming and slowly rotated to this vertical position. After a few minutes of eye to eye contact it rolled over and began a slow descent into the abyss.