BOUNCING BABY RURUTU, FRENCH POLYNESIA

Rurutu is a mini-humpback whale sanctuary about 300 miles south of Tahiti in French Polynesia. Southern humpbacks gather around the six-milelong rocky island to give birth and nurture their young. My friend and fellow underwater photographer Yves Lefevre met me at the airport. After warm greetings and salutations I asked if there were any whales to be photographed – he gestured a spirited ‘Oui!’ and pointed to a mother and calf swimming 75m away from our landing strip! The baby was a newborn, less than a week old. The mother balanced her on the tip of her nose and the perfect little white whale rode her like a bow wave.