Team & LocationSperm whales, squid and grinda — Mr. Tonga at the Moscow Dive Show 2024
30 Nov 2023
Mr. Tonga — freediver, underwater photographer and traveler Alexey Zozulya — a man who fulfills dreams. Well, of course, if your dream is to dive with whales, killer whales or sperm whales.
This season, a professional underwater photographer and cameraman, blogger Stanislav Stelmakhovich, went to the sperm whales with Alexey. It was he who made the stunning film that we plan to show in February on the huge screen of Gostiny Dvor.
In the meantime... trailer (in English). And Stanislav's impressions of the trip:
"The summer of 2023 was a turning point for me. As part of a team of experienced photographers, I went on an incredible journey to sperm whale Island to observe the life of these amazing creatures. It was a real expedition that required not only professional skills, but also patience.
Every morning we went out to sea in the hope of finding sperm whales, spending several hours at sea waiting for the long-awaited meeting. We used a hydrophone to search for them. And each time our hearts stopped when we heard clicks – the language of sperm whales ' communication. We observed passing herds of whales.
But the most interesting part started when we dived into the water. We saw the huge heads of sperm whales, the marks on their faces from deadly battles for life left by squids. Their huge teeth, weighing up to a kilogram, not only frightened, but also amazed with their power. We dived into the fecal masses and caught the flaky skin and greasy whale milk in our palms. We have seen intimate moments of tenderness between females and witnessed moments of struggle between young males. We witnessed the arrival of a huge adult male from the Southern Ocean. This male's clicks were different from the others and reverberated throughout the ocean. While feeding, we met a female with a cub. We watched young sperm whale pups while the adult part of the clan hunted giant squid. We found the remains of these squids.
And apparently, food still interests more than just us. We met a shark that was alone with me in the open ocean. But as you can see, I'm alive and I've made a lot of shots for our film. By the end of the expedition, we began to distinguish and recognize our sperm whales by their faces, belly patterns, tail shape, and even their behavior in the water.On the last day, we met Grinda, who broke away from her pack and found her home in a herd of sperm whales. It was an incredible experience that we captured on camera.
Our expedition was not just a journey, it was a real adventure that we will remember for the rest of our lives. We managed to see and capture unique moments from the life of sperm whales. And this is just the beginning."
Details of whale watching trips https://whales-tonga.com/
Youtube channel of the film's author https://www.youtube.com/@NatNotebook
Trailer on YouTube https://youtu.be/6W3KPq_1k8Q?si=bv1Xqo54XZ7Uly8o
The number of the participant's stand is indicated opposite its name in the general list on the exhibition website www.diveshow.ru/companies (the names of participants are arranged in alphabetical order, indicated in Latin letters - at the top of the page, Russian-language names - at the bottom).
The water Man exhibition Moscow Dive Show 2024 will be held in Moscow's Gostiny Dvor from February 8 to 11, 2024.
Tickets are already on sale on the exhibition's website. You can buy a discounted ticket here https://www.diveshow.ru/show/bilety/
All details are available on the exhibition website diveshow.ru
This season, a professional underwater photographer and cameraman, blogger Stanislav Stelmakhovich, went to the sperm whales with Alexey. It was he who made the stunning film that we plan to show in February on the huge screen of Gostiny Dvor.
In the meantime... trailer (in English). And Stanislav's impressions of the trip:
"The summer of 2023 was a turning point for me. As part of a team of experienced photographers, I went on an incredible journey to sperm whale Island to observe the life of these amazing creatures. It was a real expedition that required not only professional skills, but also patience.
Every morning we went out to sea in the hope of finding sperm whales, spending several hours at sea waiting for the long-awaited meeting. We used a hydrophone to search for them. And each time our hearts stopped when we heard clicks – the language of sperm whales ' communication. We observed passing herds of whales.
But the most interesting part started when we dived into the water. We saw the huge heads of sperm whales, the marks on their faces from deadly battles for life left by squids. Their huge teeth, weighing up to a kilogram, not only frightened, but also amazed with their power. We dived into the fecal masses and caught the flaky skin and greasy whale milk in our palms. We have seen intimate moments of tenderness between females and witnessed moments of struggle between young males. We witnessed the arrival of a huge adult male from the Southern Ocean. This male's clicks were different from the others and reverberated throughout the ocean. While feeding, we met a female with a cub. We watched young sperm whale pups while the adult part of the clan hunted giant squid. We found the remains of these squids.
And apparently, food still interests more than just us. We met a shark that was alone with me in the open ocean. But as you can see, I'm alive and I've made a lot of shots for our film. By the end of the expedition, we began to distinguish and recognize our sperm whales by their faces, belly patterns, tail shape, and even their behavior in the water.On the last day, we met Grinda, who broke away from her pack and found her home in a herd of sperm whales. It was an incredible experience that we captured on camera.
Our expedition was not just a journey, it was a real adventure that we will remember for the rest of our lives. We managed to see and capture unique moments from the life of sperm whales. And this is just the beginning."
Details of whale watching trips https://whales-tonga.com/
Youtube channel of the film's author https://www.youtube.com/@NatNotebook
Trailer on YouTube https://youtu.be/6W3KPq_1k8Q?si=bv1Xqo54XZ7Uly8o
The number of the participant's stand is indicated opposite its name in the general list on the exhibition website www.diveshow.ru/companies (the names of participants are arranged in alphabetical order, indicated in Latin letters - at the top of the page, Russian-language names - at the bottom).
The water Man exhibition Moscow Dive Show 2024 will be held in Moscow's Gostiny Dvor from February 8 to 11, 2024.
Tickets are already on sale on the exhibition's website. You can buy a discounted ticket here https://www.diveshow.ru/show/bilety/
All details are available on the exhibition website diveshow.ru
