A whale-watching tour in the Bay of Fundy got a rare treat last Friday when a humpback whale breached in front of them, performing an amazing backflip. The tour’s leader, Penny Graham, snapped some amazing shots of the animal, while Toronto’s Sandy Seliga captured it on video.
The tour was heading home after already having spotted a mother whale and her calf. Before they got too far, Graham, who runs Mariner Cruises Whale and Seabird Tour, heard a loud bang and stopped the boat.
The whale watchers, who were predominantly from Japan and Israel, then saw the adult humpback breach an estimated 30 times.
“Now, what a show that whale was putting on. It was just non stop,”Graham told the CBC. She was particularly thrilled that a tour made up of international tourists was treated to the site.
This performance was not that unusual, according to the WWF humpbacks are incredibly active and breach more than any other baleen whale.
Perhaps the most unusual part was how well the moment was captured on camera. Graham herself was pretty impressed: “Isn’t that an amazing picture? It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”