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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

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MiguelRodrigues
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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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#3

Humback Whale And Diver Shake Hands

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#8

Paddle Boarding With Whales In Esperance, Western Australia

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#9

Man Face To Face With Whale

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#10

Humpback Whale

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Christopher Michel Report

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#11

What Lies Beneath

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Justin Hofman Report

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MichelleMironenko
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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TammyChapman
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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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#16

Nature Photographer Gets An Amazing Shot Of A Humpback Whale

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#19

Sleeping Sperm Whales

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Eric Cheng Report

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SmileyRie
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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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#22

Humpback Whale And Calf

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#25

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

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#26

Whale Watchers Look The Wrong Way

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Simon Duggan Report

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BobbiNewell
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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#29

Humpback Whale

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MichelleMironenko
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

#30

Whale Tail

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#31

Who's Looking At Whom?

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TammyChapman
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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David Merron Report

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#33

The Journey

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Jon Wright Report

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#34

Whale - Dancer

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#36

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

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#39

Humpback Whale Brings Rainbow

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Olivia Ambrogio Report

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SmileyRie
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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#41

Whale Mother And Calf Pair

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#42

To The Surface

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#43

Not A Bad Id Photo ;-)

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#44

Humpback Whale With Underwater Photographer

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#45

A Humpback Whale Shows Its Fluke

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#47

Fly Like A Bird

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#48

Humpy Ballet - Hawaiian Style

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#50

Bubblenet

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Gary Luhm Report

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TammyChapman
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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#52

Humpback Whale Tail

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Christopher Michel Report

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#53

Humpback Whale Breach

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#54

Humpback Whale

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lessymac
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

#55

Humpback Breeches Off Cape Cod.

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#56

Humpback Whale And The Sky

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#57

Curious Whale

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#58

Whales Hervery Bay

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Michael Dawes Report

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#59

Humpback Whale Near Maui

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Mark Nicol Report

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#60

Jumpy Humpy

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Frank Stelges Report

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#61

Humpback Whale

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#62

Humpback Whale Pops Up Behind Me In Dominican Republic

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#63

Tail Wag

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Tom Kluyskens Report

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#64

Disturbed

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Tony Beck Report

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#65

Sad?

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#66

Sperm Whale Bull Washes Up On Norfolk Coast

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