A group of humpback whales has been caught on camera close to breeding grounds off the coast of Colombia.
The whales reproduce and raise their young calves each year in the Malaga Natural Reserve, northwest of the Colombian city of Buenaventura in the Pacific Ocean.
The Malaga Reserve was created in August 2010 to protect the whales and it is recognised by wildlife conservationists as one of the world's most important humpback breeding sites.
Anumber of pods, containing a total of around 100 whales, will pass through the warm waters near Tumaco en route to the site.
In the footage, six adults escorting their babies can be seen.
'At this point in time we have six whales here - six adults and their babies. They are diving for four to five minutes and are a lot of time on the surface so the best thing to do is to stay here quietly to observe them and take photos without disturbing the animals,' Colombian Humpback Foundation Director, Lilian Flores, said.
Local port authorities say all proper safety measures are taken in order to ensure the safety of the whales.
'We know that the humpback whales always visit the Colombian Pacific Ocean and we are conducting all activities here safely because we want to promote the area in a way that all the people who come here know that everything is being done safely,' Tumaco Port Captain, Andres Zambrano, said.
This is almost the end of a long journey of around 8,000km for the whales.
Most of the year, they swim the waters of Patagonia and the Antarctic hunting for microscopic krill.
After four months of rest, when their newborn calves are old enough, they will start their return journey.
