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Today is World Whale Day, an event started in Maui, Hawaii, in 1980, to raise awareness and to protect these majestic sea creatures and their habitat. But this is no backyard nature conservation event! It's also a fun opportunity to participate in The Maui Whale Festival, that will feature a parade, live music, and other festivities!

Though humpback whales can reach the length up to 16 meters, weigh around 30 tonnes, and travel up to 25.000 kilometers a year, these sea mammals are still endangered due to overfishing, noise pollution, and sea vehicle collisions. In spite of their voluminous size, the latter is the most common cause of serious injuries and death of the whales. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, now the population of this marine animal has recovered to around 80.000 of them worldwide; the humpbacks still need our protection to live and thrive.

This leviathan of a list is Bored Panda's way of taking part and letting you join, in these World Whale Day festivities. Which sea animal photo do you find the most inspiring? Do you have some whale pictures of your own? Vote or submit your pics below!

More info: mauiwhalefestival.org
#1

Whale Whisperers

Whale Whisperers

Anuar Patjane Report

MiguelRodrigues
Community Member
10 years ago

I don´t like the first one. No matter what anyone will say, that courtain of bubbles and that croud of divers so close to a cuf and its mam IS stressing. All other photos are just fabulous!

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    #2

    Gentoo And Adélie Penguins Watching Humpback Show

    Gentoo And Adélie Penguins Watching Humpback Show

    Zi Yao Report

    CarolynRogers
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    What an audience!

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    #3

    Humback Whale And Diver Shake Hands

    Humback Whale And Diver Shake Hands

    Masa Ushioda Report

    TammyChapman
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Wow!! I wish I was the diver in this photo. Beautiful.

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    #4

    A Curious Beluga Whale

    A Curious Beluga Whale

    StupidFatHobbit Report

    JakeFerguson
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    So cool

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    #5

    An Albino Humpback Whale

    An Albino Humpback Whale

    putuguk Report

    CarolynRogers
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Truly incredible

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    #6

    Under Water

    Under Water

    Michael AW Report

    SusannaVesna
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Woah

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    #7

    Mother And Baby

    Mother And Baby

    Gaby Barathieu Report

    TammyChapman
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    So beautiful and serene.

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    #8

    Paddle Boarding With Whales In Esperance, Western Australia

    Paddle Boarding With Whales In Esperance, Western Australia

    Jaimen Hudson Report

    SmileyRie
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    How to feel really really little in two easy whales

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    #9

    Man Face To Face With Whale

    Man Face To Face With Whale

    CursesFoiledAgain8 Report

    HayleyLightcap
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    That whale looks like he has experienced the hardships of life.

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    #10

    Humpback Whale

    Humpback Whale

    Christopher Michel Report

    Maggie Stephens Dougherty
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    I live humpback whales the most! Just the sheer size of them is so majestic!

    #11

    What Lies Beneath

    What Lies Beneath

    Justin Hofman Report

    MichelleMironenko
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    It would be funny if the whale just kept popping up out of nowhere just to mess with the boaters

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    #12

    Seal Surfing On A Whale

    Seal Surfing On A Whale

    Robyn Malcolm Report

    TammyChapman
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Reminds me of the crow who hitch hiked on the eagle. That would be really cool though, surfing on a whale. Awesome.

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    #13

    Tail Of Southern Right Whale

    Tail Of Southern Right Whale

    Tomas Kotouc Report

    CarolynRogers
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Incredible view

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    #14

    Gray Whale In Grice Bay

    Gray Whale In Grice Bay

    Flip Nicklin Report

    MichelleMironenko
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    That's so cool!!

    #15

    Big Baby, Tonga

    Big Baby, Tonga

    Karim Iliya Report

    MichelleMironenko
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Look at all those scratches =..(

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    Never miss a story that brings joy to the world. Add us on Google

    #16

    Nature Photographer Gets An Amazing Shot Of A Humpback Whale

    Nature Photographer Gets An Amazing Shot Of A Humpback Whale

    Karl-Otto Jacobsen Report

    MichelleMironenko
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Now that's what i call a photo

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    #17

    Smiling Beluga Whale

    Smiling Beluga Whale

    Steve Snodgrass Report

    MichelleMironenko
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    me on monday morning

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    #18

    Mother Whale And Albino Calf

    Mother Whale And Albino Calf

    Robert Harding Report

    MichelleMironenko
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Ying Yang

    #19

    Sleeping Sperm Whales

    Sleeping Sperm Whales

    Eric Cheng Report

    SmileyRie
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    But like otters -they hold paws when they sleep. Hadn't thought about sea creatures snoozing. Wonder if they dream about falling upwards?

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    #20

    Whale Shoots A Rainbow Off Newport Beach Coast

    Whale Shoots A Rainbow Off Newport Beach Coast

    Mark G Media Report

    MichelleMironenko
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Somewhere over the rainbow

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    #21

    Whale

    Whale

    Gaby Barathieu Report

    JohannaPreiszner
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    This is upside down.

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    #22

    Humpback Whale And Calf

    Humpback Whale And Calf

    Yann Hubert Report

    #23

    Pilot Whale

    Pilot Whale

    Pedro Moura Pinheiro Report

    BasPetter
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    This poor guy is in captivity :(

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    #24

    Humpback Whale Calf Dancing With Diver

    Humpback Whale Calf Dancing With Diver

    Scubazoo Images Report

    CarolynRogers
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Let's dance

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    #25

    A Humpback Whale Calf Swims In The Waters Of Tonga’s Vava’u Islands

    A Humpback Whale Calf Swims In The Waters Of Tonga’s Vava’u Islands

    Marc Henauer Report

    RebekahPruett
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Messes with my equilibrium!

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    #26

    Whale Watchers Look The Wrong Way

    Whale Watchers Look The Wrong Way

    Simon Duggan Report

    BobbiNewell
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Humans: "There should be whales in the area..." Whale: "Tee hee, I'm so sneaky!"

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    #27

    Go Into The Light And Fluke - Winter In Colourful Norway!

    Go Into The Light And Fluke - Winter In Colourful Norway!

    Report

    CarolynRogers
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Nature's perfection

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    #28

    Whale And Man Meet

    Whale And Man Meet

    Brian Skerry Report

    CarolynRogers
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Awe inspiring

    #29

    Humpback Whale

    Humpback Whale

    Gaby Barathieu Report

    MichelleMironenko
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    It's amazing how deep the ocean is. Like a never ending portal to another world. Absolutely beautiful with the whale

    #30

    Whale Tail

    Whale Tail

    Aleksandra Turkowska Report

    #31

    Who's Looking At Whom?

    Who's Looking At Whom?

    Report

    TammyChapman
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    I've always felt that being able to look into a whales eye is like seeing wisdom and our past and it's just something that defies explanation. I feel a great sense of peace, awe, respect and love every time I see a picture of a whale. Maybe I can see them in real life some day.

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    #32

    A Beluga Whale Banana's Itself While Rubbing Its Skin On The Rocks

    A Beluga Whale Banana's Itself While Rubbing Its Skin On The Rocks

    David Merron Report

    #33

    The Journey

    The Journey

    Jon Wright Report

    #34

    Whale - Dancer

    Whale - Dancer

    Gleb Tarro Report

    #35

    Sperm Whales Off The Azores

    Sperm Whales Off The Azores

    Wade Hughes Report

    TammyChapman
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Awe inspiring.

    #36

    Partial Sequence Of A Brown Pelican Mistakenly Ingested, Getting Free Of A Humpback Whale's Maw

    Partial Sequence Of A Brown Pelican Mistakenly Ingested, Getting Free Of A Humpback Whale's Maw

    Brad Schram Report

    #37

    Sun Touch

    Sun Touch

    Igor Kruglikov Report

    SmileyRie
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Beautiful ripples & rays of light

    #38

    A Humpback While Taking A Mouth Full Of Fresh Herring

    A Humpback While Taking A Mouth Full Of Fresh Herring

    Report

    DennyPlaggenburg
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    It's dinner time :-)

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    #39

    Humpback Whale Brings Rainbow

    Humpback Whale Brings Rainbow

    Olivia Ambrogio Report

    SmileyRie
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    The pot of gold at the end keeps swimming away. That's why we can never find it

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    #40

    Whale In Pacific Ocean

    Whale In Pacific Ocean

    Alexis Goubert Report

    TinadeRonde
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Stunning!

    #41

    Whale Mother And Calf Pair

    Whale Mother And Calf Pair

    Gaby Barathieu Report

    #42

    To The Surface

    To The Surface

    Gaby Barathieu Report

    #43

    Not A Bad Id Photo ;-)

    Not A Bad Id Photo ;-)

    Report

    #44

    Humpback Whale With Underwater Photographer

    Humpback Whale With Underwater Photographer

    Gaby Barathieu Report

    #45

    A Humpback Whale Shows Its Fluke

    A Humpback Whale Shows Its Fluke

    Tony Beck Report

    #46

    People Watching

    People Watching

    David Vaaknin Report

    SmileyRie
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    They seem to love people watching

    #47

    Fly Like A Bird

    Fly Like A Bird

    Mario Nonaka Report

    #48

    Humpy Ballet - Hawaiian Style

    Humpy Ballet - Hawaiian Style

    Petra Invernizzi Report

    #49

    Mother And Baby Humpback Whales

    Mother And Baby Humpback Whales

    Gaby Barathieu Report

    TammyChapman
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    Beautiful.

    #50

    Bubblenet

    Bubblenet

    Gary Luhm Report

    TammyChapman
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    I've seen this before on Channel 13, It's really cool how the whales do this.

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    #51

    Sperm Whale Near Mauritius Island Coast

    Sperm Whale Near Mauritius Island Coast

    Gaby Barathieu Report

    #52

    Humpback Whale Tail

    Humpback Whale Tail

    Christopher Michel Report

    #53

    Humpback Whale Breach

    Humpback Whale Breach

    underwaterphotography Report

    #54

    Humpback Whale

    Humpback Whale

    Vivian Krug Report

    lessymac
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    I got to see these Humpbacks last spring off Avila Beach and Pismo Beach CA - awesome!

    #55

    Humpback Breeches Off Cape Cod.

    Humpback Breeches Off Cape Cod.

    Report

    #56

    Humpback Whale And The Sky

    Humpback Whale And The Sky

    Barathieu Gabriel Report

    #57

    Curious Whale

    Curious Whale

    Report

    #58

    Whales Hervery Bay

    Whales Hervery Bay

    Michael Dawes Report

    #59

    Humpback Whale Near Maui

    Humpback Whale Near Maui

    Mark Nicol Report

    #60

    Jumpy Humpy

    Jumpy Humpy

    Frank Stelges Report

    #61

    Humpback Whale

    Humpback Whale

    Hugo Robert Report

    #62

    Humpback Whale Pops Up Behind Me In Dominican Republic

    Humpback Whale Pops Up Behind Me In Dominican Republic

    Report

    #63

    Tail Wag

    Tail Wag

    Tom Kluyskens Report

    #64

    Disturbed

    Disturbed

    Tony Beck Report

    #65

    Sad?

    Sad?

    Report

    #66

    Sperm Whale Bull Washes Up On Norfolk Coast

    Sperm Whale Bull Washes Up On Norfolk Coast

    Javier Delgado Esteban Report

    #67

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    #68

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    #69

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    #70

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