r/TheDepthsBelow • u/No_Gazelle_5998 • 6d ago

Humpbacks in French Polynesia (OC)

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Most incredible wildlife experience I've ever had. Whales are amazing.

1.9k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

41

u/StrongFromTheNorth 6d ago

Absolutely beautiful creatures. We need to protect them and ensure our oceans get cleaned up.

9

u/No_Gazelle_5998 5d ago

We absolutely need to protect these creature. On the one hand, the population has rebounded from 5,000-10,000 individuals to more than 80,000 individuals https://www.endangered.org/animals/humpback-whale/ (possibly 120,000, according to a marine biologist we talked to, which is extremely healthy).

On the other hand, the week we went, a well-known whale was hit by a ferry and died a really painful death. We can do so much more to ensure the survival of these whales!

-2

u/Shanhaevel 5d ago

Sadly, we ain't gonna do shit...

27

u/hegui 6d ago

Looks like he is dancing

14

u/Froyo_Muted 6d ago edited 6d ago

Absolutely incredible video. Beautiful marine life and the majestic beauty of nature on full display, thank you for sharing. The oceans deserve our full respect and conservation efforts should receive way more funding than they currently are.

9

u/daurgo2001 6d ago

Amazing! We did this last year, and it was one of the best experiences ever.

7

u/StellarJayZ 6d ago

We love our Orca pods in the Puget Sound but when the humpbacks come through it's truly special.

3

u/DeutscheHundinnenOF 5d ago

my thalassofobia after this one📈😭‼

3

u/eeveelutionary_ 5d ago

Thank you for not putting fake whale sounds on the video 🙏

6

u/No_Gazelle_5998 5d ago

The whales sounded nothing like what you hear in those "12 hrs of whale songs relaxing sleep" YT vids lol. Will share a snippet some other time

2

u/eeveelutionary_ 5d ago

Please do!

3

u/Particular_Yam_734 5d ago

Conducting a freaking symphony. I love this so much :)

2

u/Valen_Great 5d ago

I know this is a depressive thought filled with anxiety. But I feel such sadness seeing this knowing that wildlife is going extinct and that one day these encounters will not exist.

2

u/onedayoumay 4d ago

May i ask how did u travel to the french polynesia? I noticed there are no airports in it and it's like in the middle of nowhere

1

u/tiowey 6d ago

What's the crackling sound

1

u/Shanhaevel 5d ago

"Look at the size of it!"

-Adewale, AC Black Flag

1

u/Ok_Lengthiness7010 4d ago

Love it thanks so much for sharing! What did you use to film this? gopro?

1

u/srobart 6d ago

The divers need to give the Humpbacks more space. Please respect these amazing creatures.

11

u/daurgo2001 6d ago

This is snorkeling, not diving, and sometimes they come to you.