World-famous photographer Rachel Moore has released a stunningly close-up image of the eye of a young female humpback whale, with the eye’s bright blue color coming across as extraordinary in resolution. Photo taken off the coast of Tahiti on 6 October 2024. The whale’s wide field of vision and the layer of blubber protecting its eye can be seen in this photo – a special adaptation in marine mammals that also helps in keeping the mammal warm and shielded.
Moore, an ardent ocean conservationist, fondly named the young whale “Sweet Girl,” estimating her age to be three to four years. Unfortunately, only two days after their encounter, “Sweet Girl” was tragically drowned by a speeding ship.
View this post on Instagram
Moret Moore shares her thoughts while reflecting on her encounter with the giant creature: “Swimming with these majestic beings is a privilege; one must respect their space so there’s no need to chase or force them.”. At times, whales may want to meet on their terms. This eye contact was beyond my wildest dreams. I have never met a whale like that one and it was the most profoundly beautiful experience that I’ve had in life. I feel very fortunate she let me capture the beauty and life within her eyes, she wrote on Instagram.
Moore has titled the photograph “Galaxies in Her Eyes.” Moved by the dying whale, she wrote: “Due to a tragic strike by a fast-moving ship, that life is no longer with us. I hope her tragic story will spark real, meaningful change, especially revolving around ship speed limits in areas frequented by whales.”
The touching photograph really brought a lot of emotions in many. One of the commenters on the blog said this, “Truly amazing, I’ve never seen anything quite like that before.”* Another said, “It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see what we did to her… it was supposed to be her safe place.”
