
After decades as an underwater wildlife cameraman Darren Rice changed his angle of approach to shoot humpback whales from the sky with a remote-controlled drone off the stunning island of Foa in Tonga's Ha'apai region.

Rice, 47, captured remarkable scenes of the majestic creatures in their natural state from a distance as he controlled the drone, fitted with a GoPro camera, from a boat driven by his wife Nina.

In a remarkable series of footage Rice filmed a mother with newborn calves and a group of males chasing a female in part of a dramatic mating ritual.

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Darren Rice captures incredible scenes of humpback whales in the wild off the island of Foa in the Kingdom of Tonga

A protective mother humpback whale is shadowed by her newborn calf, as seen by the drone camera operated by Rice

Rice, 47, has been a wildlife cameraman for years but usually the footage he captures comes from below the water

Rice, who grew up in London, moved from his base in Crawley in West Sussex five-years-ago to run a dive resort but he also continues to work as a cameraman or a guide for film crews.

This recent footage of humpbacks was take over two days using his remote control drone, the DJI phantom, with Darren seeing what the GoPro is filming via a special pair of goggles.

'The first day's footage is featuring a mother and baby whale and then a mother baby and escort,' he said. 'The bond between mother and calf is very special and they are never far apart.

'The escort can be male or female and not the father or relative but a passing whale that adopts a protective role and stays with a mother and baby to look out for them.'

Rice captures a less serene sight in his second set of footage, a pod of fighting males in pursuit of a female humpback vying for the chance to mate.

'This is called a 'heat run' where a group of males chase down and fight for the dominant position behind a female for the opportunity to mate,' Rice said. 'These battles can rage on for hours eventually leaving the strongest male to mate.'

The drone, fitted with a GoPro camera, films a humpback as it begins to breach in the serene, warm waters off Foa

Rice controls the drone from a boat driven by his wife Nina, and watches the footage of the GoPro through a special set of goggles

The stunning islands of Foa, part of Tonga, where Rice moved from Crawley in West Sussex five years ago to run a dive resort

The drone gets up close and personal with the mother humpback, giving remarkable access to the veteran wildlife cameraman

Darren and Nina also use the drone as an information gathering tool as they assist in the research into the whale population's movement through their region.

'When you are flying over water it is a great risk but the footage is worth it,' he said. 'Launching and landing from a boat can be very difficult and if the drone hits the water it is finished.

More than 2,000 whales come to the warm sheltered waters of Tonga every year between July and November to mate and give birth offering Rice a front-row seat to the life of the giant sea mammals.

Darren also captures a pod of male whales in pursuit of a female whale in an ocean mating ritual

Darren's best known for his work underwater for the likes of National Geographic TV and the Discovery Channel

A touching scene of the mother humpback with her calf taken by Rice in the waters off Foa

The young humpback family bond, surrounded by jellyfish, as sun beams through the warm Pacific Ocean water

Darren's business also gives visitors the chance to go diving with the whales: 'Tonga is still one of the best places to swim with these gentle giants.

'Strict rules have now been put in place by the Tongan government to look after the welfare of the Whales and to ensure that the swimming is done in such a manner as to impact the whales as little as possible.