A group of wildlife watchers scan the open ocean for activity
- as a huge whale drifts just below them.
These amazing images show a 50-tonne southern right whale and
its calves swim within touching distance of a small tourist vessel
and its crew.
The massive mammal dwarfs the boat and could easily crush it
with one swipe of its 15ft tail.
But according to wildlife photographer Justin Hofman - the
family seemed more intent on making friends.
He said: 'Being in the water with a whale is the most
humbling experience I've ever had underwater.
'Not only are these animals massive, but they are long-lived,
intelligent, cultural beings.
'Swimming along with a curious right whale calf was
nerve-racking. At any moment I thought 'mom' was eventually going
to get annoyed with me and swat me with her 15ft tail - and I'd be
a goner.
'Yet, with every passing minute we felt more comfortable
around each other and they became curious about us and would make
closer passes.'
Mr Hofman said they were so engrossed in taking pictures,
they had a few narrow misses with the huge animal.
He said: 'It actually became quite funny because we would be
totally enthralled by the animal, taking pictures of the head and
eye as they were swimming by - but then the instant we got past the
pectoral flippers it became a mad scramble to swim away from the
whale to avoid their tail.
'At one point, one of the calves was rolling around on top of
its mother, upside down, and its tail was raised out of the
water.
'The calf rolled awkwardly off of its mom and slashed its
tail to the side to roll itself over and get a breath.
'The slash of the tail landed in the water just a few feet
from me, immersing me in a cloud of bubbles.
'Reality came rushing back and I knew I couldn't let my guard
down for a second or else risk having a major incident. All in all
though I knew that if anything went wrong it would be my fault and
not the whale's.'
The photographs were taken in the Peninsula Valdes,
Argentina, where southern right whales head between September and
December to raise their offspring.
The species were often targeted by hunters because their
thick blubber made them float to the surface after being killed -
making them easy to catch.