A diver who came close to a group of humpback whales got a friendly surprise – when he and a friend were offered a friendly fin by one of the giant mammals.
Photographer Masa Ushioda, from Japan had recently moved to Hawaii and was diving with a friend when he took the pictures of his first underwater meeting near his new home.
Speaking about the strange encounter, Ushioda said:
“This particular female humpback whale - with the white belly - was extremely friendly and very curious about us humans.
“She extended her pectoral fins to us repeatedly and sought for physical contact.”
The new-found friends were 50ft underwater when they met, and Ushioda took his chance to capture the meeting between human and whale on camera.
The picture is pretty spectacular.
Image via Daily Mail
