Behind The Shot – Mothership

Mothership – The Story Behind The Shot

“My heart raced and I could see my air guage dropping fast; but this was a once-in-a-life time moment.”

In the far reaches of the Northern Pacific lie the Galapagos islands, a region greatly influenced by the Humboldt Current. These cold currents are rich in nutrients and the underwater ecosystem here is renowned for its biological uniqueness.

Each year, large whale sharks arrive in the northern Galapagos, in particular the islands of Wolf and Darwin. It’s an incredible sight, as most of these whale sharks are extremely large, pregnant females.

Like most memorable dives, it’s the old story of: Do your research, then sit and wait underwater for long periods of time, in one spot, on the off chance that luck will also be on your side.

In this case, it was the last dive of the trip and we had accumulated many hours underwater enduring ripping currents, trying to hold position, watching, waiting … and then this happened. Like a huge bus emerging from the deep and leaving us all in total awe, she just cruised past, ever so gracefully and effortlessly. Her body wore the scares of time and adversity (a shark bite one metre in diameter on her dorsal fin, enough to prove both scale and misadventure).

I put myself in a position that I felt captured both her grandeur and the scene, for all it entailed. My heart raced and I could see my air guage dropping fast; but this was a once-in-a-life time moment, and one I was sure was not to be repeated.

The resulting image, ‘Mothership’ is an ode to the Galapagos; a tribute to patience and also appreciation of your subject.