A close encounter with a massive humpback whale off the Jersey Shore was captured on video.
Staffers with the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center were on a boat off the coast of Wildwood Sunday afternoon when they first spotted the whale in the distance. The whale then surfaced next to the boat, giving the passengers an incredible view.
“All of a sudden it started turning towards us,” said Kirby Hoffman of the Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
The whale repeatedly came up on both sides of the boat for close to half an hour. The captain of the boat put it into neutral and kept it that way until the creature finally swam away.
“This was a once in a lifetime experience,” said Melissa Laurino of the Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center. “We were not moving at the time. With humpback whales we always have to make sure we’re over 100 feet away unless the whale approaches you.”
There has been a recent surge of humpback whale sightings off the Jersey Shore as the animals feed on fish and migrate south. One boat was damaged over the weekend off Monmouth County after it was hit by a whale.
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“A lot of power behind that tail propelling a 50-ton animal through the water,” Hoffman said.
A professional photographer who took photos of whales off Belmar and Bradley Beach said he was surprised by how close some of the boaters appeared to be to the animals. Brigantine’s Mammal Stranding Center has also received complaints about boaters following or chasing whales, potentially violating federal marine mammal protection laws.
“Some of these recreational vessels are getting way too close,” Laurino said. “You should always make sure you are as far away as possible.”
