Peduncle Throw


  • Photographer
    Mok Wai Hoe
  • Prize
    2nd Place / Nature/Underwater
  • Date of Photograph
    20 Sep 2016
  • Technical Info
    Canon5DIII 8-15mm f/10 1/320s

Behaviours of the humpback whale are fascinating to observe and photograph. However, not many are as explosive as the Peduncle Throw. While swimming with a humpback whale in Tonga, a young female did exactly that, 5 meters away from my camera. This powerful manoeuvre is executed when the humpback pivots its head downwards and throws the lower portion of its body, including its flukes and peduncle sideways across the surface of the water in a quick and powerful thrust, resulting in a huge splash of water. This behaviour has been described to be an expression of defence, aggression or play. After the breath-taking moment, the humpback took a dive into the shallows leaving the boom of the peduncle throw still echoing inside me.

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