Holidaymakers have captured incredible footage of a humpback whale leaping from the sea off the South West coast. The group were on a wildlife trip when they witnessed the majestic beast repeatedly breaching from the depths just yards away.
The skipper of their vessel said it was the best whale display he had seen in 20 years as his guests were convinced it was putting on a show just for them in the Isles of Scilly. Molly Wates, who shared the video you can watch above, was one of those onboard the boat who can be heard gasping in amazement as the mighty mammal repeatedly leaps into the air and splashes down again.
The 23-year-old from West Sussex said: “We went on a wildlife trip yesterday as we’d been told there were two humpback whales sighted around the islands. Never expected to see what we did as Neil our skipper said in 20 years he’s been seeing the whales here he’s never seen one do that.”
Those onboard can be heard gasping in awe at the aquatic display. They describe it as “extraordinary” and “incredible”.
There have been sightings around Cornwall in recent days, with people sharing their delight on social media about seeing the giant mammals off Newquay and St Ives. According to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, winter is the time that humpback whales are most likely to visit Cornish waters. Reaching up to 18m long, the animals are found throughout the world’s oceans and perform some of the longest migrations of any mammal, with journeys up to 16,000 km recorded. Their population is believed to be 140,000 worldwide.
In February of last year a trio of humpbacks treated hundreds of people to a similar display off Falmouth. It is believed they come into the shallow seas around Cornwall to feed.
The whales are unmistakable, thanks to their unique knobbly head and the five metre long wing-like pectoral fins that they often raise and slap on the surface.
Sadly, the other recent marine animal phenomenon in Cornwall was the finding of a dead endangered shark on a beach. Experts have said the likely cause of death of the thresher shark found near St Austell was sport fishing.