The Wave Washers by Bertie Gregory

This image was taken in Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica, 2022. 

A personal note from the photographer: A pod of B1 Antarctic killer whales preparing to ‘wave wash’ a Weddell seal off a piece of sea ice and into the water so they can eat it. The bubbles are thought to be part of the way they communicate with each other to form these waves. The symmetry of the killer whales demonstrates their unbelievable coordination and team work to produce waves. If they are out of sync by the smallest amount, the wave energy generated would counter act each other. I've never photographed an animal that so clearly demonstrates its intelligence and creativity. It sounds ridiculous to say but these animals really are using their imaginations and teamwork to generate a unique wave for each piece of ice to hit a target they cannot see at the point they're making the wave. Their population is estimated to be just 100 individuals and it is declining at a rate of 5% per year due to climate change reducing ice cover - their primary prey (Weddell seal) is now spending more time resting on land rather than on ice floes. It's feared this wave washing culture will soon go extinct.

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