The humpback whale is back: hunting ban saves giant of the deep from threat of extinction

I was on a Whale Watch that left from Provincetown. One of the whales swam underneath the boat.  You could see it through the water, so close to the surface I was worried it would injure itself on the bottom of the boat. It's fins briefly emerged from the water.

EdLincoln has contributed a photo to this story.

We saw these amazing humpback whales on an excursion in Juneau, Alaska last month (June 2008).

monkeyjenn has contributed a photo to this story.

This was taken from a whale watching boat in the vicinity of Provincetown, MA.

jmck has contributed a photo to this story.

Whilst it's great news that the humpback whale has been taken off the endangered list we must still do all we can to protect these magnificent creatures. They have survived on this earth until now but really need our vigilance and help to make sure they are never in danger again. They cannot protect themselves. How long will it be before the nations which have resumed whaling will take them once again? How many of us want to see that? I have been whale watching many times. It is a real privilege and a huge thrill to see any whale, but viewings of the humpback are often so spectacular.  Let's make sure that even more people in the future are able to have that experience.

Whale watching trip off Eden – the Sapphire Coast, NSW, September 2006. We witnessed half a dozen or so Humpbacks, including a mother and very inquisitive calf.

janebelindasmith has contributed a photo to this story.

This photo was taken as part of a whale tour in Juneau, Alaska in July of 2008. During this tour, we encountered a group of Humpback whales feeding. We were even fortunate enough to see the bubble-netting technique! These are beautiful creatures and I am happy to have seen them and know they are gaining in numbers.

Photo by Lauren Pareigat (c) 2008

SerifGirl has contributed a photo to this story.

My photos were taken from the New England Aquarium Whale watching tour boat out of Boston - a mother, Cajun, and her calf were playing for 30 - 45 minutes, even our tour guide stopped talking to watch. The boat was buzzed, we were splashed, they leaped and played. It was a very special experience.

My photo was taken in the Lynn Canal, Alaska near Juneau in June 2008. What surprised me the most about seeing the humpbacks there was their close proximity to the shoreline, even doing deep dives.

Astaken has contributed a photo to this story.

One of several humpbacks feeding near Endicott Arm south of Juneau.

lobogrisk2 has contributed a photo to this story.

Three humpbacks hung out with our boat for about an hour off the coast of santa cruz island in the channel islands national park, off the coast of southern california.

ky_lan has contributed a photo to this story.

This photo was taken near Stellwagen Bank, (a popular feeding ground for humpbacks) off the coast of Massachusetts. The whale had just come to the surface to feed. Beautiful creatures!

keelargo83 has contributed a photo to this story.

Many of them travel up the eastern coast of Australia each year. I've been on several whale watching tours and it's always an honour to observe these magnificent creatures. Japan had intended to slaughter 50 Humpbacks this year (along with their usual large number of Minke whales!), but caved in to pressure from Australia and other countries. I hope the increase in Humpback numbers continues and does not make them vulnerable to being hunted again. I had been very upset with the Japanese over their annual slaughter of many whale and dolphin species. However, there are many in Japan who are also against this barbaric cruelty and who actively demonstrate against it. Whaling tourism is huge in Australia as they swim very near the coast and can often be seen from land. Lets keep on protecting our marine miracles!

Out in Alaska, the most beautiful state of our 50 states, I captured this brilliant photo. Surrounded by white mountaintops he took a dive and left me with the hint of his tale to be captured in this very photo. What lovely creatures! We should not let their waters do polluted or drill for the oil we're just going to run out of anyway. SAVE THE WHALES!

inaworldunderneathitall has contributed a photo to this story.

Humpback diving off the coast of Kaikora, New Zealand.
Rhonda Spidell

Rhonda Spidell has contributed a photo to this story.

Thanks all ....for the flags, the comments and the images of this beautiful creatures. Greatly appreciated.

I work out on the reef and for several months of the year I see humpbacks and minke whales migrating north and south.  I've never understood why anyone would want to harm such beautiful creatures, especially after a close encounter either from a boat or (for a lucky few) whilst snorkeling or diving. 

They may be at the lowest level of protection but they do still need protecting.

We had the priveldge of following a mother and her relatively newborn for several hours. The mother was quite active during the trip, but the baby was extremely active. The biologist on the boat estimated the baby to be no more than four weeks old.

justalexanders has contributed a photo to this story.

Copyright Brooke Zumas 2008

brooke.zumas has contributed a photo to this story.

These photos of Humpbacks were taken the afternoon of July 2, 2008, north of Cape Cod on a whale watching cruise, by Lander Stoddard. peace. L

Lander4 has contributed a photo to this story.

My name is Jason Cobey and I am the Vice Principal at Bella Bella Community School. This photo was taken on a camping trip that I went on with two other friends this summer. We had stopped in Klemtu to fuel up our boats and this beautiful humpback came to the surface about 20 meter from my boat while tied to the dock.

Cobey has contributed a photo to this story.

This was a whale watching trip in Sydney Australia, it was a group of 3 although 1 was further out to sea than our boat could go. The two near us came very close at one point which was absolutely brilliant but also so much of a surprise nobody caught them on camera.
Brilliant experience and I would love to do it again.

Red Taylor has contributed a photo to this story.

Photo by Nicole Hollingshead off the coast of Cape Ann, Massachusetts.

Killer Tofu has contributed a photo to this story.

This inquisitive Humpback came close to our boat, off the eastern Australian coastal town of Byron Bay.
For more photos from this encounter, see http://flickr.com/brookfield

shutter snaps has contributed a photo to this story.

This was taken in Juneau, Alaska. We were very fortunate to see three pods of whales bubble-feeding. We were surrounded by the humpback whales. The three-hour tour went by so fast!

Soupergrrl has contributed a photo to this story.

We took a whale watching boat out of Homer, Alaska and went out towards Elizabeth Island. We saw many humback whales, including a few mothers and their calves. We were even treated to a mother and baby playing which included a few breaches. Seeing the whales was definitely a highlight of our vacation.

You may see all the pictures from our vacation at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunshinepix/sets/72157606549835578/

rays of sunshine has contributed a photo to this story.

Great story with some fantastic photos.  I would like to view all of them but it seems as there are a lot of duplicates in the pool of pictures.  It would be nice if someone could clean that up so others can watch a nice slideshow.

My whale watching experience took place out of Homer, Alaska (7/08).  We saw several humpbacks and the trip was one of the highlights of our vacation.