2021 EPoY finalist, Scott Portelli - Oceanographic (Staging)

Finalist Exploration Photographer of the Year

Scott Portelli Tonga

18°47'41.1"S 174°03'49.4"W

False killer whales, in black and white. “False killer whales are something of a mystery to the cetacean world,” says photographer Scott Portelli. “Encounters are rare and often brief. This female uses loud clicks and whistles to communicate her feelings to us. She releases a stream of bubbles to distract from the vulnerable calf she keeps close to her body.”