The career of a marine wildlife photographer offers moments of magic, and sometimes pursuing their vocation leads to a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Professional photographer Craig Parry was recently on the hunt for images with his father aboard his 15-foot runabout off the coast of Byron Bay, Australia.
The excursion had not been fruitful and they were headed back to shore when an unusual thing happened.
“I could see a little blow on the horizon, and then all of a sudden I look over the side of the boat and I see this head coming straight for me. I was like freaking out and said, ‘Dad, get the camera,’ ” Parry told Barcroft TV.
This is what they saw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLIik_7jl54
Parry said two humpback whales circled the small boat for about 90 minutes and were “spyhopping” — peeking their heads out of the water to get a closer look at their surroundings.
One of the whales struck the front of the boat, lifting it up and giving the father-son team a scare and an adrenaline rush.
To see more of Parry’s adventures, visit his website at craigparryphotography.
