Filming an ocean giant's last few breaths

The thing we love most about the ocean is its unpredictability.

We weren't looking for a dying whale that day. We were wrapping up another shoot offshore when a friend contacted us about a humpback whale behaving strangely.

As soon as we reached her, we knew something wasn't right. We launched the drone to get a better view.

The whale was rolling repeatedly, seemingly trying to dislodge the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of remoras covering her body. Around her were hundreds of sharks. From the air, we could see them scattered far through the surrounding water.

With so many sharks present, we stayed back and watched. We wanted to understand what was happening without adding to her stress.

Humpbacks are a huge part of life on the Western Australian coast. Every year they pass through Exmouth Gulf on their migration from Antarctica to warmer waters to breed and give birth. Living here is very special, at certain times of year you can look towards the horizon and see blows in every direction, and the ocean just feels alive.

"As our time with the humpback whale went on, she weakened, moved more slowly, and her breathing became slower and less frequent.

After spending a long time watching the situation and reading the behaviour of the sharks. They were clearly sitting back and waiting, so we decided it was safe enough the enter the water.

With someone always watching my back, I slipped in. Then something really unexpected happened.

She began moving towards us.

I don't know why. There's no way of knowing what she was thinking. But in that moment, it felt incredibly personal.

She was barely breathing by then, making these soft, quiet sounds that felt incredibly sad. There were sharks all around her and I could only imagine how overwhelming that moment might have been for her. All I wanted to do was somehow comfort her, even just for a moment

After a lifetime spent in and around the ocean, you develop deep connections with the animals that live there. Being with her in those final moments was a powerful reminder of that."

"I will never forget those final moments with this humpback whale.

Being in the water beside her, surrounded by waiting sharks and listening to her slow, tired sounds, was incredibly emotional. As she drifted closer, it felt as though she was looking for comfort. We'll never know if that was really the case, but it was impossible not to feel for her.

There is a dreaming story from the Baiyungu people of our region that speaks of singing to a whale when it is sick or struggling, helping to bring it peace.

So, as this whale floated dying beside us, I began singing to her.

It was all I could offer."

We kept our distance and didn't stay long. Whatever was happening, we felt she deserved space and respect.

Wildlife filmmaking is very different from a controlled film set. You can't ask for another take. The weather changes, visibility changes, animals change their behaviour and, eventually, the sun always goes down.

As the light faded, we no longer felt comfortable staying in the water. There were more sharks around us and their behaviour was changing.

We left her knowing there was a very real possibility this would be her final night.

We thought about her constantly that evening. Her sounds, her presence and what we had witnessed. It was hard not to imagine what might be happening out there in the darkness.

At first light, we returned to where we'd last seen her. We launched the drone and searched, but there was no sign.

Then we spotted a large oil slick drifting with the tide.

We knew immediately what it meant.

She had died during the night, drifted some distance, and sunk to the seabed.

When we looked beneath the surface, it was astonishing how quickly everything had changed. In less than 10 hours, much of this enormous animal had already been consumed. After spending so much time with her the day before, seeing her reduced to a white skeleton on the seafloor was confronting.

But it also revealed another side to her story.

Her death was not only an ending. It was the beginning of something else.

An enormous pulse of energy had entered the ecosystem.

Filming the whale carcass itself was challenging. Large numbers of sharks were still feeding around the carcass, so every dive had to be carefully managed. We worked on breath hold rather than scuba, allowing us to approach the animals more naturally without the disturbance of bubbles and noise.

One by one, different species arrived. First the sharks and larger scavengers, then smaller fish and invertebrates, and eventually microorganisms breaking down what remained. Even in shallow water, the transfer of nutrients through the ecosystem was extraordinary to witness.

And whales contribute long before they die. Scientists increasingly recognise them as ecosystem engineers, recycling nutrients through the ocean and helping support the food webs on which countless other species depend.

That is perhaps what we hope people take from this story. Whales are not simply magnificent animals to admire. They are part of a vast, interconnected system, shaping the health of the ocean throughout their lives and beyond.

For us, filming this female humpback reinforced something simpler. The more time you spend with wildlife, the harder it becomes not to care. Watching an animal struggle, knowing there is nothing you can do, is incredibly difficult.

This was one of the saddest things we have ever filmed, but also one of the most extraordinary.

For days we had followed her journey, listened to her breathing and shared moments that felt profoundly intimate. It was heartbreaking, but it was also a rare privilege to witness.

We could not change what happened to her. We could only document it.

Through Blue Planet III, her story lives on. And if her journey leaves viewers with a deeper connection to the natural world and a greater appreciation for the lives within it, then perhaps that is a legacy worth leaving behind.

She became part of the ocean again, but she left something with us. And we hope, by sharing her story, she leaves something with you too.