Here’s one whale of a photo shoot!

A drone off the coast of Tonga captured these amazing images of a mother humpback and her calf out for a swim, as well as shots of bull males chasing a female in their mating ritual.

“The bond between mother and calf is very special and they are never far apart,” 47-year-old Darren Rice, who runs a divers resort in the Polynesian kingdom, told Barcroft Media. “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 was equally amazed by the whales’ mating practices.

“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,” he said. “These battles can rage on for hours, eventually leaving the strongest male to mate.”

More than 2,000 whales visit the waters off Tonga every July through November to mate and give birth, according to Barcroft.

“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,” Rice said.

“We also log all the data from our encounters to try and give us a better understanding of these majestic creatures — the drone has really helped us with this and given us a whole new perspective.”