The hunt

The story behind the image

"This is an underwater photo of a phenomenon I try to photograph every year: orcas hunting schools of herring. Their strategy is fascinating. The orcas herd the herring into a compact ball by pushing them from the bottom, then tightening the group before striking them to stun and eat them. It's a coordinated, fast, and magnificent hunt to watch."

In this image, I was lucky enough to be in exactly the right place at the moment the school was rising very quickly to the surface, driven by fear and the orcas' efforts. When herring rise like this, they "outgas": each fish releases bubbles, creating the extraordinary halo you see in the photo.

In the background, a female orca can be seen pushing the ball to maintain its shape. At that moment, everything was sound: the movement of the pod, the bursting of the bubbles, the sounds of the orcas working around it. I pressed the shutter when the halo was at its densest, in this sort of visual explosion.

What I love about this photo is that it combines a wild, very naturalistic behavior with something eminently graphic. Many people tell me it looks like a painting, and for me that's a precious compliment. When such a raw scene becomes sculptural and powerful, it means nature has offered a rare moment.