The whale who thought he could fly: Amazing moment humpback is captured leaping out of the water (and even manages a wave)
The photos, taken by marine tour guide Steven Benjamin off the
eastern coast of South Africa, captured the rare sight of a humpback
leaping from the water. The animals, known for their acrobatics, do not
tend to put on such a display when humans are nearby. The 31-year-old
amateur photographer was 'blown away' by the humpback, who disappeared
for 20 minutes before leaping from the water. The majestic animal even
'waved' its fin at amazed onlookers before coming down with a giant
splash.
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The whale who thought he could fly: Amazing moment humpback is captured leaping out of the water (and even manages a wave)
- Marine tour guide Steven Benjamin captured the spectacular sight while whale-spotting off the coast of South Africa
- The 31-year-old was 'blown away' by the humpback, which disappeared for 20 minutes before leaping from the water
- The majestic animal even 'waved' his fin at the stunned onlookers in a rare close encounter with the huge creatures
These
jaw-dropping images show the moment a humpback whale leapt majestically
from the ocean, 'waving' to a tourist boat before crashing back down
with an almighty splash.
The
photos, taken off the coast of South Africa by marine tour guide Steven
Benjamin, captured a sight rarely seen at such close proximity.
The
40 ton humpback put on an incredible aerial display, soaring through
the air just yards from a boat as shocked onlookers screamed.
Hello there: A humpback whale threw
itself out of the water off the eastern coast of South Africa, waving to
amazed onlookers in a tour guide's boat
Having a whale of a time: The humpback
had been swimming along the surface of the water, but disappeared for
20 minutes before suddenly leaping from the ocean
Flying fish: The jaw-dropping images
were captured by Steven Benjamin, a marine tour guide who just happened
to have his camera with him at the crucial moment
The
31-year-old, who was documenting the migration of more than 1,000
whales from the coast of South Africa to the warmer waters of Mozambique
and Madagascar, watched as the whale flopped around in the ocean.
Mr
Benjamin thought the humpback's show was over after 20 minutes hiding
deep under water, but it suddenly lifted ts entire body out of the
water, extending a fin to onlookers before slamming back down, creating a
huge splash.
The
giant creature was clearly having a whale of a time as the marine tour
guide watched from the safety of a boat off Port St John, in the Eastern
Cape province of South Africa.
The
spectacular display of strength and agility 'blew away' Mr Benjamin, who
had never before managed to get so close to a humpback.
Mr Benjamin said: 'Huge
whale breaches like this are common to see quickly from a distance, but
it is exceptionally rare to have it occur close to the boat and have
the camera ready.
'I got this shot out of sheer luck. We were focused on this whale whilst it was doing normal tail slapping and half head flops.
'It took a rest for 20 mins and then without notice or warning, it did a single massive breach.'
The 31-year-old amateur photographer
was documenting the migration of more than 1,000 whales from the coast
of South Africa to the warmer waters of Mozambique and Madagascar when
the humpback appeared
Splashdown: The whole boat 'erupted in
screams' as the whale came crashing down, creating a huge splash, a
stunned Mr Benjamin said
Close encounter: Humpback whales are
known for their acrobatics, but do not usually put on such displays when
they are so near to boats
He
added: 'I was stunned. I've never seen such a huge, front on and high
breach like that. The whole boat erupted in screams as it landed.'
Mr Benjamin, from Cape Town, only started taking pictures of marine life six years ago.
The amateur snapper won his camera in a local photography competition, allowing him to capture bigger and better shots.
He added: 'People can't believe its a real image, everyone always looks twice and are blown away by it.'
The
acrobatic animals can grow up to 50ft long, and have a reputation for
throwing themselves out of the water despite weighing up to 40 tons.
Humpback
whales were almost hunted to extinction during the 1960s, but a ban has
allowed their global population to reach approximately 80,000.
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