The whale that makes waves: Huge humpback appears to gesticulate at passing tourists as it breaches meters from their boat off the coast of California
- Whale watchers were welcomed by a huge humpback whale named Murph while in Monterey Bay, California
- Whales feed locally before migrating to the warm waters of Mexico and Central America each fall
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Stunning footage captured the moment when a whale in Monterey Bay, California, was displayed to boats full of whale watchers and greeted them with a spectacular tail wave.
Santa Cruz photographer Jodi Frediani, 74, was able to witness the incredible display of the four-year-old female humpback whale, Murph, as two passed Monterey Bay Whale Watch’s vessel, the Sea Wolf II.
Frediani, a whale researcher, said, “One of the whales made a huge head lunge not far from our boat. For the next 90 minutes, the same whale kept breaching, tail lobes, tail toss, and pec slap.”
“Before we know it, the whale, later identified as Murph, has made a huge breach close to one of the stationary boats. There was so much power. Murph seemed to enjoy our company as much as we enjoyed hers.’
Frediani explained: ‘The adults range in length from 14-17 meters and can weigh up to 40 tons. It looked like this juvenile whale was just having fun, kicking up her heels, so to speak, and jumping out of the water.’
A stunning photo shows the moment the four-year-old whale sprang up near the boats in California
Murph the whale jumped up and seemed to be “just having fun” as they interacted in Monterey Bay, California
Whale researcher Jodi Frediani was on the Sea Wolf II when Murph made a dramatic appearance to say hello
A little close for comfort! Murph the whale makes an impressive jump out of the water and swings her tail up behind her
Murph turns back into the water and pulls her tail out after she appears to say hello to the whale watchers
Murph, 4, shows off her tail before disappearing beneath the waves, while whale researchers and watchers watch from the boat
Photo shows people on the boat watching as the whale disappears beneath the waves, in Monterey Bay, California
From a distance, the image shows one of the whale watching boats as Murph submerges again in Monterey Bay
Making a splash: Murph disappears beneath the waves after surfacing for an exchange with avid whale watchers nearby