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If you’ve been following any Tonga-related social media accounts, you will have seen the excitement about the new snowy-white calf born this year.  After analysing the photos from various encounters, our marine biologist Alice Forrest has been able to confirm there were in fact two separate white calves!

Photos by: Alice Forrest (left), Tris Sheen, Adam McKnight (top right)

Alice, together with Tris Sheen from Whale Discoveries, analysed the fluke shots of both mothers as well as photos of both calves to confirm that they were separate individuals.

No white calves have previously been documented in Tonga (that we are aware of), so to encounter not one, but two this year, is extremely rare. It also shows the power of citizen science, and how much we can learn from a simple photo.

Excited to be awarded the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the year 2024. This is the 2nd time I have been awarded overall winner of this iconic Australian competition, in 2021 and 2024. This is truly an honour and a privilege to be among such a high calibre of photographers. The launch of the exhibition showcases 90 pieces of work from an eclectic group of photographers across several genres.

Ocean Souls is a natural history documentary about the intricate lives of cetaceans and a collaboration of more than 100 film makers. I had the opportunity to be part of this project providing an extensive series of footage for the film. The film uses the best images from the world’s greatest marine photographers and filmmakers. It shows the largest diversity of cetaceans ever presented on screen. With perspective that include aerial, land and underwater footage, while showcasing on-camera celebrities, subject matter experts and scientists. The film to date has received more than a dozen accolades and continues to be one of the most prominent cetacean documentaries of its time.

You can see the film here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/oceansoulsenglish

The Whale Vision Exhibition premiered in Iceland’s capital with hundreds of visitors stopping by each day at the first whale conservation exhibition organized by the conservation group “Hard to Port”. My work was exhibited with some of the worlds best whale photographers to help support education and hopefully inspire others to act for our oceans and their inhabitants.

The World Photographic Cup is an international competition where countries get the opportunity to enter a portfolio of images to be presented and judged on the world stage. The AIPP, as the representative body for photography in Australia, submits work from selected members as Team Australia. I am proud to be a part of team Australia with my award winning image of a false killer whale and her calf taken in the waters of Tonga. This was selected from the Nature and Wildlife category at the Silver lining awards which won 1st place in 2020.

The efforts of all the finalists were enough to bring home the World Photographic Cup, first place overall!! Australia is now only the third country to achieve the feat of winning the WPC TWICE. Huge congratulations to the fellow Aussie team; Forough Yavari, Joshua Holko, Andy Cheung, Steve Scalone

Over the past two decades, I have devoted myself to documenting and capturing the behaviour of humpback whales in Tonga, a group of islands in the middle of the South Pacific. In 2019 I asked Director Stefan Andrews to join me in Tonga and produce a documentary about these amazing creatures and my experience learning about the intricate lives of these gentle giants. Over the past 20 years I have been collecting data to support the research efforts of many organisations. In 2014 I launched a research initiative called the Tongan Fluke Collective, which encourages visiting photographers to donate tail shots in an effort to identify individuals and learn more about the Humpback whale population in Tonga. The film shows the beauty of these majestic creatures and explores Scott’s close connection to these animals and showcases a fascinating variety of unique whale behaviour.

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/372698210

In 2021 we are launching a new series of whale experiences in Australia and Norway. Whether you are interested in experiencing the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef or the wonders of the Northern lights, there is something amazing for everyone in this series.

Humpback whales at Ningaloo Reef, WA

As the humpbacks arrive in large numbers to breed and give birth, you will bear witness to one of nature’s great events. The crystal clear waters of Ningaloo Reef are the perfect place for nurturing mothers teaching their calves how to be whales, while groups of whales demonstrate their overwhelming presence. Your day is filled with excitement, only stopping to explore the coral reefs and abundant marine life that inhabits the Western Australia coastline. 

Minke whales, Great Barrier Reef, QLD

Minke whales make their way through the Great Barrier Reef during the winter months which makes June and July the best months to experience these beautiful creatures up close and personal. These inherently curious whales have been known to seek out and investigate vessels in the water and enjoy interacting with swimmers which makes for a wonderful experience.

Orcas, Norway

This trip is for anyone interested in orcas, humpback whales, Northern lights and spectacular fjords. The best time of the year for this phenomena is November and January when the balance between light and access to herring and whales is at its best. The winter days in Norway provide excellent light for photography. We will spend the daylight hours looking for whales and other wildlife and, if the opportunity occurs, snorkel in the crystal clear waters.

For more information contact us through the website or directly via email at scott@scottportelli.com or +61 (0)402124453

We are truly humbled by the response we’ve received to our fundraiser for the rescue and rehabilitation efforts for the wildlife who have been injured in the recent Australian bushfires.

We originally started with a fundraising target of $5,000 and we were quickly blown away by the generous international response we received, ending up with a staggering total of $33,200 in 10 days!

We will be distributing the funds across the various organisations in Kangaroo Island, you can see the work all these organisations and independent carers are doing:

• Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network 
• Left Field Farm Sanctuary
• Wildlife Rescue South Coast
• Adrina at Wandandian Kangaroo & Wallaby Sanctuary
• Lisa & Jared Karran – Kangaroo Island Wildlife Care 
• Five Freedoms Animal Rescue

We received 1668 entries and we are excited to announce the winners of our raffle draw and are excited to announce that our winners are: First prize: Mark Kennedy and Second prize: Gioia Mansard.

Congratulations to you both!

Thank you again to everyone who contributed, sent messages of support and offers of assistance to help with this important cause!

I’m excited to announce that my film Swimming with Gentle Giants will be featured as part of the 2020 Ocean Film Festival!

Produced and directed by Stefan Andrews from Ocean Imaging, Swimming with Gentle Giants explores my close connection to humpback whales and showcases some of the unique behaviours I’ve experienced while swimming with them in the pristine waters of Tonga.

Australian & New Zealand ocean lovers will be able to immerse themselves in the wonders of the ocean without getting their feet wet this coming February to April as the Ocean Film Festival World Tour makes a splash in cinemas across both countries. The festival, which features a carefully curated selection of the world’s most captivating ocean-themed will light up silver screens in 35 towns and cities.

Tickets and screening times are available here

A big shout out to my amazing skipper Sione Fifita, expert local guide Vili Takau and Whales in the Wild who have supported and guided my adventures in Tonga for many years and who have helped make this film possible.

We were honoured to have one of the world’s most acclaimed nature photographers, filmmakers and marine conservationists Paul Nicklen and his team from SeaLegacy visit us in Tonga recently. Paul has spent over 20 years documenting the beauty and the plight of our planet and as an assignment photographer for National Geographic magazine, he captures and inspired the imagination of a global audience.

Paul is also the co-founder of non-profit, SeaLegacy which plays a crucial role in ocean conservation centred around extraordinary visual storytelling using a team of the world’s best photographers and filmmakers to capture the beauty and the threats below the surface of our oceans. SeaLegacy then utilises the incredible captured media to fuel, inspire and fund global campaigns that trigger lasting and sustainable change to protect our precious oceans. You can read more about their inspiring work here.

We had some truly amazing experiences and interactions with the whales during the week, we even got to see some baby whale dancing (Check out Paul’s awesome Instagram footage!).

We think Paul summed up our experience perfectly:

Thanks to Paul and his team for visiting us in Tonga!