Bubble-netting

While photographing spirit bears in the Great Bear Rainforest, we were out on the water with our guide, Marvin Robinson, when he got a call - humpback whales had been spotted feeding in a nearby cove.

We changed course immediately… and we’re so glad we did.

As we approached, the water didn’t look quite right. It was moving in a way that felt almost surreal, like it was boiling from below. Then we realized what we were witnessing.

A pod of Humpback whales was working together beneath the surface, creating a massive circular “bubble net.” Swimming in a tightening spiral, they released streams of air that formed a rising wall of bubbles, trapping krill and small fish into a dense cluster.

Then suddenly...

They surged upward in unison, mouths wide open, breaking through the surface as they fed.

The sound, the power, the precision… it was something you could feel as much as see.

They repeated this incredible display several times, and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, they finished with breaching, tail slaps, and powerful spouts echoing across the cove.

Bubble net feeding is one of the ocean’s most fascinating cooperative hunting techniques, requiring timing, communication, and trust within the pod.

It’s not just a moment you witness.

It’s one that stays with you forever.

-Stan Masters

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