A Vietnamese photographer shared his experience of capturing amazing pictures of gray whales during his recent trip to De Gi Beach in Binh Dinh Province, south-central Vietnam.
Ngo Tran Hai An, widely known as Quy Coc Tu, enjoyed three wonderful hours getting up close with the whales, identified as the Bryde’s whale, on the morning of August 18.
An spent three previous days pursuing the whales before his efforts paid off with the moments he described as “unforgettable.”
A Bryde’s whale swims near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
He took a taxi from Phu Cat Airport to De Gi Port, where he rented a boat to get out to sea.
The boat trip takes 20-30 minutes on average.
A pair of whales that appears to include a mother whale and its baby swim near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
On the first day, the photographer endured strong waves as high as one meter but the whales were nowhere to be seen.
The next two days, An woke up at 4:00 am and also waited in vain under the scorching sunlight.
A Bryde’s whale lunges toward fish in the waters near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
It was not until the fourth day that An sighted the whales foraging early in the morning sunbeams.
He immersed himself in photographing the great sea creatures from various angles for three hours straight.
A pair of whales that appears to include a mother whale and its baby lunges toward fish in the waters near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
Sometimes, An’s boat got very close to the whales, allowing him to take many up-close pictures of them.
Bryde’s whales are dark smoky grey dorsally and usually white ventrally and listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species as a species prone to extinction.
A pair of whales that appears to include a mother whale and its baby swim near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
A pair of whales that appears to include a mother whale and its baby feed on small fish at De Gi Beach between 5:30 am and 4:00 pm every day, according to An.
Whales are often spotted during the summer at De Gi Beach.
A Bryde’s whale lunges toward fish in the waters near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
Ngo Tran Hai An (on top) takes photos of whales from a mast near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Supplied |
A Bryde’s whale lunges toward fish in the waters near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
A Bryde’s whale lunges toward fish in the waters near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
This boat took Ngo Tran Hai An to a water area near De Gi Beach in Phu Cat District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam for whale photography. Photo: Ngo Tran Hai An |
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