Species: Humpback Whale | Location: Near Ketchikan, Alaska, United States of America
This joyful young humpback was practicing his aerobatic skills near Ketchikan in August 2016. For more than an hour our ship sat calm in the water while he went through his routine - slapping his tail 10 to 15 times, rolling on his back to "clap" with his flippers, then breaching. The sky was bright, the water was blue, and we were stunned and awed at his magnificent performance.