Christopher was looking for cetaceans around the Canary Islands, before setting sail across the Atlantic. Waiting for a still, windless day when the water was perfectly smooth, he had a particular shot in mind. ‘I knew the angle I wanted of a surfacing pilot whale,’ he says, ‘but it only suited a silky sea’.
Contrary to what their name suggests, pilot whales are actually members of the dolphin family. Their name comes from an old idea that groups were piloted by leaders. They are highly social and form strong bonds – super-pods of several hundred have been known – which might be why they are susceptible to mass strandings.
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At 61, Christopher has been at sea most of his life. He ran whale-watching holidays for 28 years before crossing the Pacific in 2017 and selling his boat. He has recently started to concentrate on photography. He spends half the year in Baja California, his other great passion.
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