REM CYCLES. . We were watching a small group of whales for several hours towards the end of the day. Every 10-15 minutes they would come up for air, taking a few relaxed breaths at the surface and then dropping down again, only gracing us with their presence when they felt we were worthy of it. We waited and we watched as they traveled, stopping occasionally for reasons only they knew. Early on they were breaching and slapping their pectoral fins, but as the sun dropped lower in the sky, so dropped their energy levels. In an instant, they were gone. Engines off, hoping we would see a dorsal or fluke or hear a blow in the distance, we heard and saw nothing. Most of the group was already geared up and sweating in their suits so somebody decided to jump in to cool off. Not 30 seconds went by and with their snorkel still in and half a mouth full of water, they yelled, “she’s resting beneath us!!!” 60 ft below, an adult female humpback was suspended completely still with her eyes closed, relaxed enough for me to come face-to-face with her, snap a few photos, and return to the surface without disturbing her.