
Whale Whisperers.
All photographs are copyrighted and used with permission by Anuar Patjane.
It is underwater where Anuar Patjane made an image that turned heads. A mother humpback and whale and her newborn calf swam towards some divers in the Pacific Ocean near Mexico, and Patjane pressed the shutter. The image shown above went on to win National Geographic’s Traveler Photo Contest recently, and we couldn’t help but reach out to find out more about Patjane’s work underwater.
For more of his work, check out his website and follow him on Instagram.

Surrounded by a swarm of jack fish in Cabo Pulmo National Park, Mexico. Cabo Pulmo is the best example of a recovered reef in Mexican seas. A few years ago the fisherman of Cabo Pulmo fished all the reef to the point that fishing stopped being a way to sustain their households and life in the reef was obliterated. So they decided to totally stop fishing and few years latter the reef recovered to an astonishing level, and it is today the best example of what the Sea of Cortes used to be like
Phoblographer: You have a truly incredible series of underwater photographs. What drew you to life underwater?
Phoblographer: I can’t imagine what it must have been like to see the whales, fish and divers come together like that in your award-winning photograph. Paint the picture for us, what was that moment like?
Phoblographer: Beyond its epic scope, part of what makes “Whale Whisperers” notable is your equipment choice: a Sony RX100 as opposed to a bigger, what some might call a more serious camera. What led you to choose this camera, and what’s your underwater rig?

This was my first dive in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba, so I was a bit worried about how the Silky Sharks would treat us on the way back to the boat. All went well and I managed to get a few good photographs of those impressive animals that we usually irrationally fear.
Phoblographer: In your description of “Whale Whisperers,” you referenced needing to make the Revillagigedo Islands a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site. What’s happening to the islands, and how do you see these photographs helping?

Diving with a humpback whale and her new born calf while they cruise around Roca Partida Island, in Revillagigedo, Mexico. This is an outstanding and unique place full of pelagic life so we need to accelerate the incorporation of this islands into UNESCO as natural heritage site in order to increase the protection of the islands against the prevailing ilegal fishing corporations and big game fishing.
Phoblographer: What are some of the challenges of photographing underwater?
Phoblographer: What advice do you have for photographers who want to get into underwater photography?

Images created during an expedition to explore the reefs surrounding Clipperton Island, 1200 km away from land.

A humpback whale mother teaching her male calf how to breath and control his bouyancy, in the protected area of Roca Partida (Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico).


This was my first dive in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba, so I was a bit worried about how the Silky Sharks would treat us on the way back to the boat. All went well and I managed to get a few good photographs of those impressive animals that we usually irrationally fear.
