Humpback Dolphin | Agonda

A humpback dolphin (exact ID disputed between Sousa chinensis and Sousa plumbea). Shot in Agonda, Goa.
The identifying feature of this dolphin is the prominent hump ahead of the dorsal fin, visible in this image. They are often found very close to the shore (sighted some barely 10-15 feet from a rocky shore during this boat trip). The young are a pearly shade of white, while the adults turn off-white, sometimes with pinkish patches or spots; dark grey flanks and a lighter grey underside.

Canon 500D, 100mm Macro USM.
SS 1/4000
Av 6.3
ISO 800
Cropped for a wide composition.
Didn't manage any shots of the head... hope my luck changes soon :).

Thanks, C&C awaited.

Nice sighting. Great that you got to see it and click as well. A longer focal length would have been better. Slightly lower Iso would have been ok as well. Thanks for sharing.

Nice,rare image.Happy remembrance.I saw Gangetic Dolphins(Platanista gangetica) in the Sundarbans in Feb, 2004.They were diving close to the the launch (during low tide when catching fish is easier) in one early morning covered with dense fog.One of the most innocent mammals,down memory lane,in my childhood I used to see them diving every minute in the Ganges near Uluberia, only 30 km from Howrah.Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

Lovely sighting. I liked the composition, the blue waters look nice. I think you kept the ISO high so you don't miss out on the action. Its good you could see it, next time you can capture it :). Thanks for sharing the information. Look forward to more.

Correction:
My posting Today, 13-12-2011 at 06.45 P.M :First line :
"Happy reminiscence" in place of 'Happy remembrance'
SaktiWild

Nice one Abhishek, it is not easy to get these Dolphins in open, they are really quick. The blue waters look nice. Good attempt
tfs

Nice Abhishek. Wish you had got the head above the water. I have seen them close to the coast.They are called Ayadi in Malayalam. Fisher flocks believe they are the representatives of Mother sea and it is a sin to catch or eat them. Enter the "International market for sea food" and many such simple but sensible beliefs have disappeared as the Moolah started pouring in.

TFS
Roopak

Beautiful image. Love the clean blue hues in the image with the dolphin in the frame. It is difficult anticipating where they would surface next so that one can prefocus and get them with the head out of the water. More difficult is with the unstable boats that one gets here. Great job with that. Did you see any mother and calf pairs? I would pull back on the saturation a little bit. Thanks for sharing.

Love the blue waters. Nice sighting.

tfs

Roopak,
Good to know about its Malaylam name.

And as consumers, we need to also say no to taking Shark fin soups and dolphin meat etc if you are in China or other such countries.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

Thanks everyone. Just saw that I do have a shot where part of the head is visible, only the angle isn't quite to my liking. Will share that image soon.
Bibhav: I have played with the levels a little, but I don't recall touching the saturation. Didn't see any calves.
Roopak and Sabyasachi: Thanks for bringing up that important point...