June 2006 Minke season

The LEGENDARY Undersea Explorer

The LEGENDARY Undersea Explorer

Undersea Explorer's minke girl Susan Sobtzick and Stella

Undersea Explorer’s minke girl Susan Sobtzick and Stella

Undersea Explorer's Rosco, Debbie and guest Bennet pointing at minke direction and helping out with minke research in the Great Barrier Reef

Undersea Explorer’s Rosco, Debbie and guest Bennet pointing at minke direction and helping out with minke research in the Great Barrier Reef

Finally home in June and just recovering from our back to back Kimberley and Philippine expeditions, there was a God sent chance of going on the Undersea Explorer for the grand minke trip of the season, nay the decade! We had a rare week of almost flat calm seas and Pavlova the dancing minke pirouetting for hours along the minke line! Phenomenal.

Dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) makes close passes to snorkler Ross Miller hanging on to a minke line of the Undersea Explorer

Dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) makes close passes to snorkler Ross Miller hanging on to a minke line of the Undersea Explorer

Dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) head rising beside Yogi hanging on a minke line of the Undersea Explorer

Dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) head rising beside Yogi hanging on a minke line of the Undersea Explorer

Close pass of a dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

Close pass of a dwarf minke whale
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

About the Author:

Jürgen Freund’s aim as a wildlife photographer is to shoot pictures that tell stories which matter. A mechanical engineer by training, he started his career as an industrial photographer in Germany, acquired an underwater camera, went scuba-diving in the alpine lakes and then discovered the marine environment. Since 1982, he has done underwater and nature photography, making much of his own equipment to suit his needs. Jürgen’s work, on land and under water, has been widely published all over the world. He has had solo exhibitions and has been a prize-winner in international competitions, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year. In partnership with his wife Stella, a producer, he works closely with WWF, which uses his photographs in many of its conservation campaigns. For 18 straight months, he and Stella travelled the Asia / Pacific region of the Coral Triangle, photographing the richness of this hotspot of marine biodiversity on behalf of WWF.