Leaping out of the water in majestic fashion these acrobatic female humpback whales are a sight to behold.  Wildlife photographer, Jon Cornforth, captured these amazing images from just 30 feet from the gentle giants.  One incredible picture shows a 50ft humpback fully breaching the water - it's nose reaching an astounding 40 foot in the air.  American Jon, 39, from Seattle was amazed by the sight of the magnificent whales so up close when he visited Frederick Sound near south east Alaska. "They really are fantastic creatures to get so up close to," said Jon. "They are extremely curious creatures - they are interested in us just like we're interested in them. "There was a moment when one actually came up underneath me and looked like it might try to swallow one of the the boats. "But luckily they're far too clever to mistake a boat for their usual prey." The amazing pictures also show a sisterhood of 45 ton sea beasts "bubble net" feeding. One or two sea mammals plunge up to 500 feet underwater and blow air bubbles in a circular pattern to trap their prey in a "bubble net" so the rest of the 12 strong group can feed. The intelligent band of females feed from huge shoals of herring that spawn in the area by acting as a group. Incredibly the entirely female group forms each year on the exact same spot on the planet's ocean AND each creature performs exactly the same role in hunting each time. "It's a mystery as to why females come together in this way," said Jon. "They may have a matriarchal society like some groups of killer whales. "I've seen the same females perform the same job of diving down to create the bubble net time after time. "The bubble net is created far below the surface. "And can be as big as 75 metres in diameter - in order to catch the enormous herring swarms. "They are such powerful animals that they can do this every four to five minutes for as long as ten hours." Dedicated Jon has whales watched for over 12 weeks over a period of four years to capture his amazing pictures. On his most recent trip, Jon to hunt down the feeding whales - despite knowing exactly how to go about finding them he still had to travel 120 miles by boat and spend three days relentlessly searching the ocean to finally find his prize. "Humpback whales are incredible mammals," said Jon. "They rise above the water for only a second - and then they vanish into the waves once again. "It's brief, but breathtaking - and worth all the effort. "When people see these pictures I hope they get a sense of just how glorious it is to be in their presence." Humpbacks, like all whales are warm blooded mammals. They breed in the warm waters of the Pacific, particularly near the US island of Hawaii in the Winter - and travel to colder northern waters to feed as the ocean temperature gets warmer. They are known for their complex "whale songs" which could be a way of communicating over long distances under water.