Gentle Giants | Nat Geo Photo of the Day

An overhead view of four large whales swimming up to a small white boat speedboat with six people in orange life jackets aboard.

Gentle Giants

Four gray whales approach a small fishing skiff off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. In this area, this species of whale is typically very friendly, often approaching boats with curiosity and a desire for human interaction. "I shot this on an incredible morning when we had over 20 whales around our boat," sphotographer Kaushiik Subramaniam tells National Geographic. "The four that you see in this image were the initiators, after which all the others wanted in on a piece of the human action. To this day, this remains the most incredible wildlife interaction I have ever had."

Kaushiik Subramaniam