Rare Video Captures 40-Ton Whale Gleefully Leaping Fully Out of the Water

Scuba diver Craig Capeheart filmed a magical event off the southeastern coast of South Africa when he witnessed a 40-ton humpback whale leaping fully out of the water. Looking surprisingly spry for such a large animal, the whale caused other boat passengers to shout with awe as it splashed down.

The majestic animal is performing an act known as breaching. Researchers believe that breaching is a way for distant groups to communicate, different from the tail and fin slapping that is reserved for close range communication.

Though it's considered a breach any time the whale's body is at least 40% above sea level, it's quite rare to see their entire body fly out of the water. This makes Capeheart's close-up video a unique gem. “It seems that never before has a recording been made of an adult humpback whale leaping entirely out of the water! A very rare event, indeed,” Capeheart writes. “Dolphins and even Great White Sharks have been seen flying out of the water, but this is a first for an adult humpback whale!”

This humpback whale jumps fully out of the water, a rare site captured on film by a scuba diver in South Africa.

h/t: [Mashable]

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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