An overcast day somewhere in the South Pacific...

We had been searching for whales for a long time that day, at times under pouring rain as you can only get in tropical regions. We spotted a few elusive whales, unapproachable, and the crew was growing tired and cold.

And then we found her...

I quickly got my gear ready and slowly entered the water. I gently swam toward the approximative area where she'd disappeared under the surface and waited.

Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes... and then she reappeared.

Her body language suggested that she wasn't perceiving me as a threat so I took a deep breath and dove towards her.

We met at about five meters deep. She paused for a few seconds, waving her fins as I watched, mesmerized. She then headed to the surface to take a few breaths and disappeared. These few seconds made all these hours spent searching worth it.

The conditions underwater weren't good. The recent storm flooded the rivers, ruining the visibility... but sometimes, murky waters make for a dreamy, ethereal look which compliments nicely the feelings you get during these encounters. A moment lost in time, lost at sea, finding your true self.