Sofia Viegas

15/01/2026

From the universe’s vastness, what are the odds of a world this alive, this beautiful?

Our stardust home is a miracle. Let’s treat it as one. 🌌🌊

Permit ARRETE 3327 - MPR_DIREN

07/01/2026

Honored to be a nominee at the Exposure One Awards ( ). Grateful for this recognition and for everyone who has supported me along the way 🤍

2025 Nature Photography Contest by Exposure One Awards | Celebrating Exceptional Black & White Photography

07/01/2026

The moment you realize sharks are the most charismatic subjects to photograph, there’s no going back.. 🫠

Expressive, curious, and undeniably beautiful.

𖡡 French Polynesia — the largest shark sanctuary on Earth.

19/12/2025

Jellyfish, meeting its own reflection. 🪞
With wildlife, creativity is a challenge — the subject moves, you drift, the light shifts. And yet, for a few fleeting seconds, everything aligns ✨

26/09/2025

Sunrise in this little corner of Moorea just hits different. The mountains glow with soft, golden warmth as the sun begins to rise, and the lagoon slowly wakes up.

Blacktip reef sharks and stingrays move into the shallows to feed, gliding with the tide.

There’s a rhythm in the ocean here at dawn calm, powerful, and endlessly beautiful and it’s my favorite part of the day. 🌅

17/09/2025

A Close Encounter with Humpback Whales

A rare and special moment when a humpback whale, along with a group of other whales in French Polynesia, decided to swim towards me and attempt a gentle, smooth touch with its long pectoral fin.

From its gaze, it seemed to communicate, giving me the time to create a bit more space while still allowing me to capture the moment.

While the whale on the left in the background was singing, only males sing, and it’s quite rare for them to sing while on the move and close to other males.

The many mysteries of these majestic beings remain unrevealed, keeping us in awe…

Photo taken under authorization ARRETE 4645/VP/DIREN aboard Ninamu Oceanic Tour last year.

10/09/2025

This is our real world, a world full of beauty, alive with nature’s wonders. Here lies our true source of joy, peace, and purpose.

Yet we’ve come to a point where so much of life is being virtualized, lived apart from nature, shaped by appearances rather than essence. And then we witness moments like this multiple whales and dolphins moving in harmony that bring us back to what truly matters.

Life gives us these gifts not only to marvel at but also to realign our perception, reset our priorities, and inspire us to protect the very source of life itself, nature… 🌊✨🐋🐬

Footage taken under authorization ARRETE 4645/VP/DIREN aboard Ninamu Oceanic Tour last year.

04/09/2025

These creatures with their rounded foreheads, short beaks, and curved dorsal fins, gliding side by side, are short-finned pilot whales.

Short-finned pilot whales live in remarkably close-knit pods, bound together by strong social ties.

Sometimes, when we slip into the water, their curiosity brings them close like this male, who passed by with a rather cheeky look.

It’s hard to imagine that a mammal of around 5 m can dive to depths of over 1,000 m… yet that is exactly what they do, hunting squid much like s***m whales in the vastness of blue 🌊🦑

26/07/2025

Whale season is here, and I feel incredibly privileged to witness it as an underwater photographer. 🐋

But it’s a bittersweet feeling, this is becoming a very popular industry, and we all face a choice: we can either be part of the problem or part of the solution.

I truly believe that, when done responsibly, whale watching brings more benefits than harm. It’s up to those of us on the frontlines to lead by example and show that there is a respectful, low-impact way to experience wildlife.

When someone locks eyes with a humpback whale for the first time, something changes. That connection sparks a shift and often, people go home with a renewed sense of care, making more conscious choices to protect the ocean and all its life.

French Polynesia is doing an incredible job leading the way. By creating the world’s largest marine sanctuary for whales and sharks, and continuously adapting regulations to support respectful tourism. It stands as a powerful example for the rest of the world. 🌊🙌🏽

Let’s keep working to protect what we love, keep our egos in check, and share this magic in ways that inspire action — not impact.