2021 APoY finalist, Scott Portelli - Oceanographic (Staging)

Finalist Adventure Photographer of the Year

Scott Portelli Tonga

18°40'58.3"S 174°03'28.4"W

A humpback whale calf crashes back into the ocean. “The humpback whale has one of the most powerful tails in the animal kingdom,” says photographer Scott Portelli. A young humpback calf propels its three-tonne body from the water with a spectacular re-entry into liquid space. I watched as the baby whale started to propel itself from 10 metres below. As it leaped out of the water, I was inches away. Truly, a very close encounter.”