Noel Manikkam, Where Whales Reach for a Human Touch – Nowhere else on Earth! (TRAVEL 2026)

Once a year, gray whales migrate to breeding grounds along Baja Peninsula, Mexico. These whales together with their newly born calves swim along fishing boats and surface to be touched by tourists. While standing in a little boat and watching as they approach us, I was overcome with a sense of awe but leaning over and actually touching those giants was truly exhilarating and deeply emotional. There are no words to really describe the feeling but the spiritual and visceral emotions created would last forever. These images, taken in San Ignacio Lagoon, capture some of these moments.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.