Surfing delight

Wim van den Heever's Image

Wim began to regret setting out in such a small boat that day.

His tough-plastic camera bags were leaking salt water onto his precious camera, the heavy swell made it a challenge to balance, and he had painful cramp in his arm from holding the heavy lens to his eye. 'I had to concentrate hard', Wim says, 'on keeping the dolphins in the viewfinder while not falling out of the boat.' But the moment the mass of bottlenose dolphins exploded in unison, he knew it was all worth it. The perfect backdrop for such a serendipitous moment was the backlit curtain of sparkling spray. Some scientists argue that dolphins don't play for the sheer fun of it in the way we humans do. What Wim observed that day off Port St Johns, South Africa, suggests otherwise.


Behind the lens

Wim van den Heever

Wim van den Heever

South Africa

Wim has had an interest in photography and nature for as long as he can remember. From an early age, it seemed a natural progression for him to combine the two passions through a career in wildlife photography. He sees photography as a lifestyle rather than a hobby.

Image details

  • Nikon D4
  • 200-400mm f4 lens
  • 1/3200 sec at f8 (-0.7 e/v)
  • Port St Johns, South Africa
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