Those fortunate enough to witness humpback whales feeding using a bubble net technique are usually in a boat well offshore — not standing on a dock.
But standing on a dock in Knudson Cove Marina in Ketchikan, Alaska, is where a sportfishing skipper captured a magic moment when a humpback whale surfaced with mouth agape just feet from where he was standing, as reported by Alaska Dispatch News and KING5.
Cy Williams of Strike Zone Sportfishing was preparing for a fishing charter when he noticed a humpback whale in the harbor. He began videotaping as he followed the whale under the dock and then suddenly, right in front of him, he saw this:
“I tried to follow where it was going, but the whales move so quickly for such big creatures,” Williams related to Caters News.
“All of a sudden these bubbles started coming to the surface and I knew where he was. Then I saw his mouth wide open and I was just shocked. I’ve never seen a whale do that before.”
In the bubble net feeding technique used by humpback whales, the whales blow bubbles in a circular motion, trapping baitfish inside the wall of bubbles, allowing them to surface with mouths open to feed.
“It was breathtaking,” Williams added. “I genuinely thought it was going to hit the boat or the dock, as it was so big.”
Williams estimated the whale’s length at 40 to 50 feet, and where the whale surfaced was 60-feet deep. He said humpback whales had been feeding in the marina for three days.
“Every time I see a whale I’m in awe, but being this close was something special,” Williams said.
But wait, there’s more. Candace Barnes was visiting from out of town and walked down to the same marina and also had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, according to KING5:
“We were just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time,” Barnes wrote, according to KING5.
So was Williams.
Read more at http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/humpback-whale-feeds-just-feet-from-alaskan-dock-amazing-videos/#RhkmQf708Wc4sguQ.99
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