A tourist guide has captured the stunning migration of humpback whales as they flee the Antarctic in search of warmer waters.
The whale watching season generally runs from July to November, but early sightings have already been delighting beachgoers.
The whales will travel about 2,500 miles from the Antarctic to the warmer waters of north-eastern Brazil to reproduce.
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The humpback whales have been breaching and pec-slapping off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, in south-eastern Brazil.
Ângelo Caravelos is a tour leader in the Região dos Lagos area of Rio de Janeiro state.
He has already filmed several specimens with his drone as they delight whale watchers with their acrobatics.
The organisation Projeto Jubarte has been monitoring the cetaceans for more than 30 years.
Over that time, the number of whales spotted in Brazilian waters has increased significantly.
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In 1998, around 1,000 whales were recorded. Last year, that number soared to 30,000.
Ângelo told What’s The Jam: “It has increased a lot. Every day we’re filming more. And this year there are more than in the past.”
Humpback whales can reach 52 feet in length and weigh about 35 tonnes.
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Their diet consists of krill, small fish, and plankton, which they strain out of the water with their baleen.
When asked what he likes best about his job, Ângelo replied: “Launching the drone and seeing a different scene, watching the excitement of a calf, seeing their joy as they leap – it’s really awesome!”
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