Face to Face With a Humpback Whale

We’ve long known whales as intelligent, feeling beings. But we’ve never quite seen them like this.

Underwater photographer Rachel Moore was in the water when Sweet Girl, a massive female humpback, swam into range, curious, calm, and unhurried. For nearly five minutes, the two stayed close.

Moore with her camera. The whale with what can only be described as patience.

The resulting images are extraordinary. The most intimate portraits of a humpback whale ever captured, and at their center: an eye the size of a grapefruit, ringed in electric blue, alive with detail and unmistakable intelligence. You look at it and feel, without question, that something is looking back.

Tragically, Sweet Girl was struck and killed by a fast-moving vessel just four days later.

Moore’s photographs have since struck a deep chord with people around the world, and rightly so. They are a gift, a rare window into the interior life of another kind of mind, and a quiet argument for why these animals deserve far better from us.

See more of Rachel Moore’s beautiful and vital work on her website.

This moment of eye contact was beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve never encountered a whale like this one, and it was the most profoundly beautiful experience of my life. I feel privileged that she allowed me to capture the beauty and life within her eyes.

Devastatingly, due to a tragic strike by a fast-moving ship, that life is no longer with us. Over the past few weeks, she touched so many lives, and thanks to your support of this recent photo of her eye, her story has now reached millions.

I hope her tragic story will spark real, meaningful change especially revolving around ships speed limits in these areas where whales are primarily found during whale season. “