A week-old Hawaiian monk seal pup rests on its mother at a busy Waikīkī beach – and this photographer captured the rare moment without disturbing them

A black sea lion pup resting its head on the sandy head of its mother lying on the beach.

Wildlife photography comes with an important responsibility: never get too close or disturb an animal just to get the perfect shot.

Wildlife and underwater photographer Leighton Lum kept his distance when he captured the special moment between a Hawaiian monk seal named Kaiwi and her young pup on a busy beach in Waikīkī.

The heartwarming image shows the pup resting its head on its tired mother, just weeks after being born. The moment was particularly special as the pup marks the sixth Hawaiian monk seal birth ever recorded at this location – one of Hawaii's busiest and most popular beaches.

To keep his distance, Lum used a 500mm telephoto lens and 1.4x extender, giving him 700mm of reach while shooting with one of Canon's finest stills cameras.

Lum has spent nearly a decade teaching photography and leading expeditions around the world, using photography to raise awareness. Now, his photograph of the Hawaiian mother and pup duo has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious Ocean Photographer of the Year awards in the Conservation (Hope) category.

Finalist: Conservation (Hope) – Photographer of the Year

Review insight: "As a stills camera, the Canon EOS R5 is still one of Canon's finest products ever. It’s the perfect amalgamation of the earlier EOS R’s form, the EOS 5D’s function, and the professional-grade autofocus of the EOS-1D X" (Image credit: James Artaius / Digital Camera World)

Gear info
Camera: Canon EOS R5
Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + Canon Extender RF 1.4x

The story behind the still
As Lum explains: "Mothers nurse their pups for around six weeks without feeding, losing up to a third of their body weight while the pup grows rapidly before becoming independent.

"Despite choosing one of Hawaiʻi's busiest beaches to raise her pup, Kaiwi has successfully raised several pups here. It does, however, require the support of conservation teams and volunteers – DLNR enforcement, NOAA and volunteer groups coordinating barriers and round-the-clock patrols to ensure that tourists and locals wouldn't get too close during such a sensitive window."

The winners of the Ocean Photographer of the Year competition will be announced in September. The award is presented by Oceanographic and Blancpain.

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