A weekend sighting of a Humpback whale family left scuba diver, Alan Marquardt feeling very small as he took pictures of this marvel.

Mr. Marquardt said he had been travelling out for the past few weekends to capture the whales, without success but this past Sunday's weather could not have been better for the pictures.

He said: "I saw a mother, her calf and an escort, fortunately enough, they were not moving around much. I felt extremely small next to them as they were very big."

The whales have been travelling by the Island for the last month, as this is their migrating season.

The scuba diving instructor said he was able to get such good images of the mammals with his lens digital camera, with underwater housing, because the water was pretty calm and the whales were very cooperative.

"They usually travel pass Bermuda on their way to probably Nova-Scotia or Canada their summer feeding grounds they are probably coming from the warmer waters of the Caribbean."

Mr. Marquardt said he spotted the whales about 16 or 17 miles west of Bermuda near Challenger Banks but was not afraid to get in the water with the huge animals.

"I was not afraid of them attacking me as nine out of ten whales usually won't interact with you. They tend to choose when they want to interact with you," he said.

Mr. Marquardt started his career as a professional in 1980. His interest in underwater photography was inspired by his friend the late Laurence Gould, who was an award-winning underwater photographer and who introduced The Paget resident to the field.

A love of photography and marine life has taken him to many corners of the world, where he has dived extensively exploring the ocean's reefs and wrecks. The public has been able to view his work in local publications such as the Bermuda Telephone Directory, Bermudian Magazine, BF&M Calendar and many tourist publications by the Bermuda Department of Tourism.

In February of 2008, Mr. Mr. Marquardt produced his first solo underwater photography exhibition, which was held in Hamilton, Bermuda and he continues to research all avenues of presenting his work to members of the public.

More images of Alan Mr. Marquardt's whale pictures can be seen at www.bermudablues.com.