Photographer Captures Practically 300 Humpback Whales Gathered within the Similar Spot

South African photographer Chris Fallows, who has famously captured Great White Sharks leaping from the waters round Cape Town, has opened up about witnessing a humpback whale “supergroup” on the finish of final 12 months.

Fallows, alongside together with his spouse Monique, witnessed nearly 300 people in a single morning, an occasion indicative of how whale populations that have been dwindling have recovered impressively after a global whale searching ban in 1986.

“Over December 2025, we really noticed whale numbers were steadily increasing,” Fallows tells Associated Press. “Initially, we saw groups of 20, maybe even 50. But towards the middle of the month, those groups grew into 100, and we knew something really special was in the offing.”

“On one particular day, on December 30, about 100 kilometers [60 miles] north of Cape Town, we were greeted by what I can only describe as a Manhattan skyline with huge plumes of whale breath greeting us like skyscrapers,” Fallows continues.

“And very quickly, we realized we were looking at a sight we’d never seen before in our lives, and that was hundreds of whales coming together to feed in one small area. And it was truly breathtaking, not only as a naturalist, but as a fine art photographer — you dream of moments like this.”

In whole, Chris and Monique counted 299 particular person humpback whales by photographing their tails, referred to as a fluke, which have particular person options and permit researchers to make a transparent rely.

Humpback whales are solitary animals that hardly ever collect in giant numbers. But teams will collect in food-rich areas. These so-called supergroups started showing off South Africa’s coast in 2011 after humpback numbers recovered from simply 10,000 within the southern hemisphere on the peak of whaling to over 100,000 whales as we speak.

Fallows is greatest identified for his black and white pictures of nice white sharks. His photograph Air Jaws, a movie {photograph} displaying an awesome white shark breaching with its jaws open and enamel seen, helped set up his fame.

“And it was in the days of film. [I couldn’t] look on the back of the camera and see if I’d nailed it,” Fallows instructed 60 Minutes again in April. “I waited the whole weekend, not knowing whether I’d kind of over-imagined this incredible image, whether it was going to be sharp… [on Monday] I walked into the lab, everybody was clapping.”

“It was a photograph that changed my life, and it gave me a fantastic start with my photography. And it… epitomizes the power and, I guess, predatory prowess of this incredible animal.”