Mark Carwardine

“I was just out of university and in California for the summer when I went on a whale-watching trip. For the first two hours, there was nothing – I didn’t see a thing. And then suddenly, without any warning at all, a grey whale – it must have been 40 foot long – leapt out of the water. I was 21 at the time, but I still remember it in slow-motion: this whale appearing out of nowhere and falling back into the water with a huge splash. I remember thinking: this is what I want to do with the rest of my life! It all came from that one moment.”