The 4-year-old female humpback whale named Murph has performed a spectacular leap out of the water, nearly touching the tourist boat’s hull. According to the Daily Mail, during a whale-watching excursion near Monterey Bay in California, United States, passengers were treated to an awe-inspiring sight.
Murph, with her massive body, leaped out of the water, astonishingly close to the tourist boat, leaving everyone in awe.
Jodi Frediani, a 74-year-old resident of Santa Cruz, California, was one of the fortunate individuals to witness that moment and quickly grabbed her camera to capture it.
“Humpback whales do not intentionally pose a threat to humans. They are incredibly skilled at maneuvering around stationary boats in the water,” said photographer Frediani. “I have never been afraid when seeing them up close. Instead, I am in awe and thrilled by their power and magnificence.”
“We try to follow guidelines and stay at least 100 meters away, but their feeding behavior is highly flexible, and sometimes the whales can unexpectedly swim under the boat. Then, other whales may suddenly approach,” Frediani added.
The photographer hopes that her photos will inspire people to “protect humpback whales, their food sources, and our oceans.”
In the wild, humpback whales are known as one of the largest creatures currently inhabiting the Earth. Their primary food sources include various species of fish and plankton. With their enormous mouths, they are capable of engulfing an entire school of fish in a single gulp. This behavior poses a danger to boaters when the prey fish swim beneath their boats, and the humpback whales lunge towards them to feed.
These marine mammals typically visit Monterey Bay from late April to early December and migrate to warmer waters off Mexico during the winter.
According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, humpback whales have been listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act of 1970.