Sad Eyes of the Ocean: The Story Behind the Stunning Beauty!

Commercial whaling may not be the threat it once was, but that doesn't mean whales are safe from ships.

After a daylong excursion, which included swimming with a male whale, Moore almost decided not to go back into the water. However, when she saw a young whale playing with some dolphins near the surface, she decided that she definitely had to go back in the water. "The whale seemed very curious, so we decided to go back in the water for another swim. I'm so glad we did! That whale was Sweet Girl. As soon as we entered the water, she came really close to us ," Moore told IFLScience .

The eye of the whale.

Rachel Moore , an ocean photographer, spent a lot of quality time swimming and interacting with marine animals such as whales and dolphins. On one particular day, she had the opportunity to swim with a humpback whale nicknamed Sweet Girl and captured incredibly detailed images of the whale's eyes. Sadly, just four days later, Sweet Girl was struck and killed in the ocean by a fast-moving ship.

During their first encounter, Moore did not get the best shots of Sweet Girl. However, she did not want to miss this rare opportunity and decided to go back into the water to take more photos. Then a friend alerted Moore and the captain that Sweet Girl might be in the vicinity of his boat. It did not take long for Moore to quickly return to the water.

'Sweet Girl approached me and swam vertically in the water, moving rhythmically and showing me each eye. This time, I didn't swim away. I knew I could trust her, and she could trust me,' she told IFLScience . For the next five minutes, Moore and Sweet Girl stared straight at each other, now only inches apart. Moore used her 16-35mm lens to take stunning photos, capturing the last rays of sunlight illuminating Sweet Girl's eyes.

These photos were taken near the island of Mo'orea, in French Polynesia. Sweet Girl is a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) - this species of whale often stops near the islands to rest and give birth before starting the long journey to Antarctica.

The last rays of sunlight illuminate the eyes of the whale Sweet Girl.

Sadly, however, just four days after Moore took those stunning photos of Sweet Girl, tragedy struck. Sweet Girl was struck and killed by a fast-moving vessel, most likely a ferry transiting between Tahiti and Mo'orea. "Tragically, Sweet Girl was struck and killed by a fast-moving vessel just four days after our encounter. There is still an ongoing investigation to determine the vessel that hit her, and an animal welfare organization is considering possible charges. In French Polynesia, whales have legal status, which makes this case even more important ," Moore said.

Following Sweet Girl's death, a petition was launched asking the government to slow down ships around the islands. A report by the International Whaling Commission suggested that ship strikes were a growing problem for whale populations. According to the Guardian , " the number of ships worldwide quadrupled between 1992 and 2012."

Whale deaths are hard to quantify, but reports suggest that on average, around 20,000 whales die each year. The IUCN divides humpback whales into subpopulations and lists them as endangered in different regions. For whales like Sweet Girl, Moore hopes the petition can lead to new laws and stricter enforcement.

'In California, there are no laws requiring ships to slow down in shipping lanes, but strong recommendations are that ships transit at 10 knots or less in whale migration and feeding areas. Most ships comply with these guidelines, and many shipping companies that operate in California also operate here. The hope is to encourage these companies to adopt similar speed reduction measures in French Polynesia ,' Moore told IFLScience .

Moore believes that if these major shipping and cruise lines comply with recommendations to reduce speed, there will be pressure from governments and local operators to make lasting changes. She also notes that if ships can reduce their speed by 200 mph in California, surely they can do the same by just 1.5 mph in French Polynesia.

The story of Sweet Girl is not only a deeply personal and emotional experience for photographer Rachel Moore, but it also highlights the challenges and dangers whales face in the wild. It is hoped that conservation efforts and measures to slow down ship speeds will help reduce fatal collisions and save the whales from extinction.