The 60-foot-long whale was about to perform a ‘spy hop’ when it raises its head vertically out of the water with its flippers outstretched beneath the surface.
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Snapper Rod Klein, 67, from California, in the US, captured the breathtaking shot near the Pacific island of Tonga.
He said: “I love this shot – it is very different from most other shots of whales that I have seen.
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“It has an intimacy and a scale that make it unique.
“I love the fact that you can see the whale’s eye looking at you.
“The main challenges were the constant action going on around me and the fact that I had to freedive in order to get the shot.
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“I was very close to the animal.”
Expert Rod used just a mask, fins and a snorkel during a 30-day stint freediving with whales.
“I would have liked to stayed longer in order to get a larger portfolio of shots, but in general I felt the few images I did get were excellent.
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