Scuba Diving – September 2019

60 / SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 SCUBADIVING.COM

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GABRIEL

BARATHIEU

MAYOTTE

BEHIND THE SHOT: I

took this picture in the

lagoon of Mayotte—an

Indian Ocean archipelago

between Madagascar

and Mozambique—early

in the morning. I left at

dawn to meet the hump-

back whales in the hope

of catching them at a

peaceful time; we arrived

to find a mother and calf.

The most important thing

for photographing hump-

backs is to make a calm,

steady approach. If you let

the whale accept you, you

will make beautiful shots.

It's as simple as that. For

this photo, I was less than

a yard from the whale.

CAMERA GEAR: Canon EOS

5DS R in a Subal housing;

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L II

lens; natural light

SETTINGS: f/10; 1/80;

ISO 200

PRIZE: Tr ip aboar d

Thailand Aggressor

1 ST

PLACE

WIDE-ANGLE