MEGAFAUNA
Once in a lifetime
Richard Shucksmith and Brydon Thomason , both from Zetland BSAC , had a priceless experience in their home waters and came away with the first underwater photographs of humpback whales taken in the UK
RRight and below : A 10-metre adult
humpback approaches the photographer
Excited anticipation was building as I walked out to the headland with my wife Rachel and our 17- month-old boy Jack . We were scanning the sound between Yell and Fetlar in Shetland for the large vertical blow of humpback whales . We had just returned from a family visit down south and while away four humpback whales had been seen here almost daily . To say the least , I had been desperate to get back home to see the whales and potentially have a go at getting some underwater images .
As we neared the headland , we spotted two large white vertical blows about a kilometre away , followed by two more . Then we had the biggest bit of luck – two of them headed straight towards us and within a few minutes were no more than 10 metres out from the headland we were standing on . They looked big … very big ; they came so close even Jack got to see and hear them – truly amazing . We watched them until darkness fell .
Luckily , the forecast for the following two days was excellent – sunshine and no wind – a rare treat in Shetland in the middle of December . A quick call to my buddy Brydon Thomason and we formed a plan to get out on the best-looking day . I couldn ’ t wait to try to get into the water with them , although I did feel g
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