It is not everyday you have the opportunity to look a humpback whale in the eye. Let alone to have a young calf swim towards you and gently brush a pectoral fin against your side. I felt a deep connection with some of the biggest mammals in the world during my trip to Tonga in 2016.

I have always loved the ferocity of the ocean – how it is unforgiving and relentless. On the surface it can be dangerous and destructive, but down below I have always felt a calmness and serenity. Maybe it is the pressing silence from the above world. Perhaps it is the absence of gravity. But, it was when a twelve-meter mammal looked me in the eye that my whole world changed. I felt insignificant and small in an unknown environment, next to a creature that could kill me with the flick of its tail – but knowing that it never would.

You can view my whale print collection at my print store.