Incredible footage of a 40-ton whale leaping entirely out of the water caught off the Eastern Cape shores.
Eastern Cape, South Africa (25 February 2020) – “It was a rare clear, crisp, cold, winter day offshore Mbotyi in Pondoland, Eastern Cape province, South Africa, formerly Transkei,” says Craig Capehart, a scuba diver who shot some incredible footage of a Humpback whale jumping completely out of the Indian Ocean water.
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 m and weigh around 25–30 metric tons. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviours, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. All the males in a group will produce the same song, which is different each season. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating by inducing estrous.
Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 km each year. They feed in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth, fasting and living off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net technique.
Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, its population fell by an estimated 90% before a 1966 moratorium. While stocks have partially recovered to some 80,000 animals worldwide, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships and noise pollution continue to affect the species.
Capehart was with four Scuba divers in small “rubber duck: inflatable boat when they caught sight of the whales.
“The seas were unusually calm that day on the Indian Ocean. That wouldn’t last long, soon returning to howling winds, whitecap waves, and giant swells! Did I mention it was cold – on land, at sea, and in the water?!”
They were in the waters during the annual world-famous South African Sardine Run – a mass migration of pilchard fish up the east coast of Africa. But were not there for the sardines and rather the predators they attract; Hungry bottlenose and common dolphins herd the long line of small sardines into compact groups called “bait balls”. Once a ball is formed, a feeding frenzy ensues. Dolphins, sharks, and birds feast on the dense pack of small fish.
An ultralight aeroplane was overhead, looking for the action reporting on all sightings so that they could make their way to the “action”.
“Sadly, our six or seven hours daily on the water entail mostly waiting, waiting, and waiting a little longer until we find the elusive sardine bait ball.
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Entertaining us while we wait, were the migrating humpback whales; some are mothers with calves, some are males travelling in small groups.
This day, there were few sardine sightings, but the whales seemed to be everywhere! An unexpected bonus!”
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“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.
Dolphins and even Great White Sharks have been seen flying out of the water, but this is a first for an adult humpback whale!
Note: I sometimes have to remind my northern hemisphere friends that although it is summer in July and blisteringly hot and dry in parts of America and Europe, in South Africa it is exactly the opposite! It is dark, cold, winter now! Did I mention that it is cold?”
Watch the video below:
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