05.34 pm, Friday May 25 2012

Snorkeller captures close encounter with whale

10:00 AEDT Fri Apr 8 2011
By ninemsn staff
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Sperm whales can dive to depths of up to 3km. (Snapper Media)
Sperm whales can dive to depths of up to 3km. (Snapper Media)
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A British marine biologist has photographed his face-to-face meeting with one of the planet's largest creatures.

MORE PHOTOS: Snorkeller's close encounter

Arun Madisetti, who lives in the Caribbean nation of Dominica, was snorkelling off the coast when the curious whales swam by.

Despite their fierce reputation in novels such as Moby Dick, Madisetti's photos show the softer side to the giant mammals who have the largest brain of any animal.

"Sometimes the whales will swim up to the boat to check us out. Sometimes they will just swim past, infrequently stop, and roll around like 30-tonne puppies, and tempt you to get in and follow," Mr Madisetti told the Daily Mail.

"On the latter occasion it is all you can do to keep up, try to hold the camera steady, and hope the preset functions are correct."

Numbers of the sperm whale dwindled during the 200 years they were hunted for their oil, which was used in everything from cosmetics to machine oils.

 

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