Tony spent an unforgettable morning snorkelling above a large group of sperm whales off the Caribbean island of Dominica.
'They spent much of their time at the surface of the ocean, rubbing up against each other, vocalizing and gathering in raft formations - often appearing as if they were playing,' says Tony. 'Though they were preoccupied, the whales seemed to take an interest in me from time to time.' When he took this photograph, four were swimming directly up towards him. They paused about 10 metres (33 feet) below the surface, and as Tony dived down to have a better look, he could feel their clicking sonar resonating through his body as they checked him out. Then suddenly they surfaced, and Tony found himself in the middle of the four enormous animals. 'As I swam along with them and we made eye contact, it seemed as if, however briefly, they were socializing with me.'
USA/Japan
Tony devotes most of his time to researching and documenting rarely seen marine animals and environments, spending more days at sea that he does on land. After spending years photographing tropical reefs, whales and large aggregations of spawning fish, he is currently exploring the varied and diverse marine environments of Japan, which encompass everything from tropical to Arctic environments, as well as many unique habitats in between.
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