The ocean is one of the few parts of the world that we still don’t know much about. Scientists have only begun to explore this mysterious home to so many fantastical creatures. Whales are some of the most majestic mammals to roam the seas. This family was in for a complete surprise when they got up close and personal with a whale.
A family was fishing off the coast of New Jersey when they suddenly had an unexpected encounter. The fishing boat was actually in the trajectory of a breaching whale. These fishers could never have guessed what was about to happen.
The men looked out over the seemingly calm the Atlantic Ocean. They gasped as they discovered several humpback whales swimming close to the surface beside them. All of a sudden a gigantic whale shot up right next to the boat, rocking it violently. As the whale broke through the surface of the water, it pushed a flopping fish into the fishing boat. The whale then crashed back down into the choppy waves.
The fishers were completely taken off guard. “Whoa!” one man yelled, startled by the astonishing meeting. “Did you see that?!”
The youngest of the three looked down at his phone to make sure he caught the moment on camera. The men boasted to a nearby boat that they had, indeed, recorded this extraordinary encounter.
The whale had been practicing a type of swimming pattern called breaching. According to National Geographic, “Humpbacks are powerful swimmers, and they use their massive tail fin, called a fluke, to propel themselves through the water and sometimes completely out of it.” That would take an incredible amount of strength!
Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly why the whale was performing this fascinating display. National Geographic informs us that “scientists aren’t sure if this breaching behavior serves some purpose, such as cleaning pests from the whale’s skin, or whether whales simply do it for fun.”
One thing is certain: the group had an exciting story to take home with their fish. Many of us never get to see a wild whale from so close up. Even on whale watching adventures, boats make sure to leave some distance between themselves and visible whales. These three had quite a unique adventure.
This story reminds us how many wonderful sights our little planet contains. We are lucky to live in a world with adventure around every corner.
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