By oceana 
Hachijojima Island, Tokyo, where humpback whales have been seen since 2015; although they are frequently observed from land from late November to early April, it is rare to encounter them underwater while diving. Then, on Saturday, February 18, news came in that two humpback whales swimming leisurely were encountered at close range for about eight minutes during a dive!
First of all, please take a look at the videos.
Video 1 (4 minutes and 56 seconds)
Second video (continuation of first video) (3 min. 9 sec.)
This time, the humpback whale encounter took place at “Yaene,” a beach point on the west side of the island where the water is up to 20 meters deep and the tides are calm. We asked the witness, Mr. Jungo Nakatani of the “Archelon Diving Club,” what it was like.
Editorial Department: The images are like a dream. You said you encountered the whale at “Yae-ne,” but is it rare to see humpback whales at this point?
Mr. Nakatani: As far as I know, there have been four times since humpback whales were first seen on Hachijojima when diving at Yaegone, so I think it is very rare. Even including other sites such as “Nazmad” where the tide is fast and humpback whales, dolphins, and big game such as hammerhead sharks have been seen, sightings by divers on Hachijojima are about 15 to 20 times a year in most years.
— “I guess it’s still rare. So it is very rare.
Mr. Nakatani: Yes, it is. But this time, just before we entered the dive site, we saw a heat run of humpback whales heading toward us from “Nanbara Senjojiki,” a lava field located a little north of Yae-ne, so we thought, “Maybe they will pass by the sandy beach and roots of Yae-ne. ” so I put down the macro-spec camera I had prepared and went into the ocean with only my condenser.
–The reading was right! Please tell us what it was like when you encountered the humpback whales.
Mr. Nakatani: I swam straight to the tip of the tidal root and scurried around, waiting for the humpback whale to come to me at a depth of about 21 meters. I took pictures of a large starry ray swimming gracefully in the sand and three friendly young kampachi fish. As the kampachi swam away, I looked back and saw a humpback whale about to pass by from the offshore side!
— I was so excited.
It was like there was no warning in the water.
Mr. Nakatani: That’s right. After taking a few still pictures, we started recording. At first, I was shooting with the intention of hoping that it would be video evidence of a humpback whale sighting because it was so far away, but I thought it was passing by, and then, what? It kept coming closer and closer…. After going to the surface to breathe, they came back and came even closer.
— The humpback whales seem to be interested in you, Mr. Nakatani.
Mr. Nakatani: Yes, I think they were looking at each other completely (laughs).
— How did you feel at that time?
Mr. Nakatani: To be honest, I was scared because the huge body of the humpback whale, which was probably more than 10 meters long, was closing the distance between us. (Laughs) I tried not to provoke the whale, and continued to photograph it as if it were assimilated into the rock. Even if the humpback whale had no intention of attacking me, even a slight hit could have been serious…
— I was not moving, so I kept filming.
Maybe the humpback whales came closer to me because I stayed motionless.
Mr. Nakatani: That may be so. During the cruise, the humpback whales would go to the surface to breathe and then come back, and there were times when they would wear their fins and mouthparts on the seafloor (sand), which was a rare sight to see. Finally, another humpback whale, which had been swimming a little further offshore, came to greet us as if to say, “It’s time to go,” and the two whales left together. In the end, we were able to watch them for more than 8 minutes. Most of the humpback whales sighted so far on Hachijojima pass by within a few seconds, and even when they are hovering slowly, they move around a little, so they can be seen for about 2 minutes. This time was special because the whale was stationary on the sand. I’m already overwhelmed with emotion.
— Just looking at the images, I am healed by the calm underwater world.
Thank you, Mr. Nakatani.
Interviewed by: Archelon Diving Club
Opened in 2006, this intimate dive store on Hachijojima Island, Tokyo, is run by a husband-and-wife team. The shop also offers accommodations exclusively for divers, so you can enjoy diving in comfort. The owner, Mr. Jungo Nakatani, is an excellent macro guide and can teach underwater photography techniques to camera beginners.
▶︎ official HP