breach – Syndication Server

Humpback whale’s ‘unthinkably’ high breach captured in photos

A photographer in Maui has captured a photo sequence showing a humpback whale launching its entire body out of the water.

The image atop this post, showing a humpback whale calf breaching clear of the surface, was featured this week by a whale-themed Facebook page with no details about location or time. For The Win Outdoors reached out to the photographer, Burak Ayday, and was told the image is part of a sequence captured off Maui on March 1, 2020, as COVID-19 dominated the news cycle and days before a global pandemic was declared.

The images are wonderful in part because large whales rarely launch their massive bodies entirely out of the water – it’s a feat mostly reserved for smaller calves. Ayday allowed the use of his photos and provided the following recollection of his unforgettable encounter:

“It is a day that I won’t soon forget. The media was full of talk of the coronavirus and the unsure times ahead. Living in Hawaii, there is a sort of disconnect from the news and things that are happening worldwide. All I knew is that whales were in abundance in Maui and that I needed to get out and capture as much as I could before the season had ended or lockdowns were put in place.

“A friend of mine, Sean, texted me at about 7 a.m. and asked if I wanted to hit the water. Shortly after 8 we were heading out in search of whales. During our mission we encountered lots of friendly whales, and picture-perfect water conditions.

“We came upon this calf at about noon. The little calf put on quite the show, displaying pec-slaps, lunges, and breaches for well over 30 minutes… right before he took it upon itself to perform one of the most legendary breaches I have ever seen with my own eyes.

“The boat went absolutely silent… there were no words to be had for what just happened. This whale cleared an unthinkable distance above the surface, and we were lucky enough to have witnessed it. Gratitude and disbelief quickly entered my mind.

“How, Why, How, and How? This whale had already used up so much energy. How did it find it within itself to propel himself out of the water like a rocket to the moon? I truly don’t know, but what I do know is that not 15 seconds later a full-grown bull of a humpback barreled himself out of the water as high as possible, as if not to be outdone by a wee young calf.

“I think about this day often. This calf serves as a source of inspiration. The courage, the strength, and execution of the breach we witnessed, will continue to inspire me for the rest of my life.”

Baby humpback whale ‘finds her wings’ with full body breach

For the second time in less than two weeks a photographer in Australia has captured images showing a humpback whale calf breaching completely free of the water.

While humpback whales are famous for breaching and other surface behaviors, the massive cetaceans rarely become totally airborne.

Rachelle Mackintosh captured the accompanying photo sequence Saturday for Merimbula Whale Watching. It was the 18-foot female calf’s first of many breaches near the vessel.

“Before that, she and her mum were very friendly and curious and kept coming over to the boat to say hi, and then suddenly this calf found her wings and boom – she was airborne!” Mackintosh told For The Win Outdoors.

“After they breach once you can usually tell if they’re going to jump again by the way they dive down or do a slight flick of their tail, so I was able to get a few more photos of her subsequent jumps. But that first breach was her funniest and craziest!”

On Sept. 28, Mackintosh photographed another breaching calf whose entire body cleared the surface, while aboard a Go Whale Watching excursion off Sydney, 300 miles north of Merimbula.

Humpback whales are migrating from nursing and mating grounds off eastern Australia to summer feeding grounds off Antarctica, where they’ll spend months gorging on shrimp-like krill.

Mackintosh said Merimbula, in New South Wales, represents a resting area before the whales begin their long journey across the Southern Ocean.

She added that she has yet to photograph an adult humpback whale in a full body breach because that’s an especially rare phenomenon (humpback whales can weigh 50 tons).

“It’s mostly just the calves and juveniles who get all the way out like that,” Mackintosh said. “Some of the adults can get almost all the way out but it’s pretty rare to see that. I think full body breaching is more common during our [southern] migration because we get so many youngsters and they are learning and practicing their behaviors.”

–Images courtesy of Rachelle Mackintosh

Great white shark breach catches scientist by surprise

A Massachusetts scientist has discovered that it pays to be quick on your feet while trying to capture footage of great white sharks.

A Massachusetts marine biologist has discovered, for the second time in as many years, that it pays to be quick on your feet while trying to capture footage of great white sharks with a pole-cam.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3ncQ1S4jxs]

The accompanying footage, released Tuesday by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, shows a 9-foot white shark breaching directly beneath Greg Skomal as he stands on the pulpit of a research vessel off Cape Cod.

Skomal jumps and shuffles his feet in a startled attempt to distance himself from the shark, which was ultimately tagged as part of an ongoing scientific effort by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Great white shark breaches at feet of Greg Skomal. Photo: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy

The footage, captured Nov. 11, shows the primary breach from both sides of the vessel and somebody, perhaps Skomal, can be heard shouting, “Jesus Christ!”

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy stated on Facebook:

“While encounters like this one are rare, this video shows that they can occur. White sharks are wild and unpredictable animals. This is a good reminder of the importance of following safety tips and always staying vigilant when in or on the water.”

Greg Skomal moments before 2018 close encounter. Photo: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy

That’s the same statement issued in June 2018, when a large white shark breached directly beneath Skomal, who exclaimed moments afterward, “Did you see that? Did you see that? It came right up and opened its mouth right at my feet!”

Skomal, who works for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and fellow researchers have tagged more than 50 white sharks this season as part of a longterm behavioral study, according to the Cape Cod Times.

–Video and images are courtesy of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy