Play Time

On this occasion, I’d free-dived quite deep and found myself looking up toward the surface as mother and child swam into view.

Noticing my strategic position below them, I’m sure I had just become the subject of that day’s lesson in playful showing off.

As the two approached, the mum rotated as she glided by and continued swimming upside-down. The youngster, swimming tail-to-nose in front of her, followed her lead, and together they drifted down to me and then alongside.

At first, I thought they would simply swim on, bringing an already beautiful encounter to a close. But then something unexpected happened. In a movement worthy of some exquisitely choreographed ballet, the young orca completed a full turn, circling back around its mum. The pair spiralled around each other up toward the surface before slipping off into the blue beyond.

How humbling, if only for a moment, to feature in their awareness, to be the focus of their attention, and to witness so playful a gesture.


#arctic #fjords #MarineMammals #norway #oceanlife #orca #Skjervoy # OrcinusAter #mother #baby