We share our beautiful planet with some incredible creatures, who live in just about every available habitat on earth. From the plunging temperatures of the arctic circles to the baking heat of sandy deserts and everything in between – the animal kingdom is truly impressive. And it’s a wonderful moment when we get to see that world in action.
This time, it’s the beasts of the sea that a taking the center stage, as you watch this incredible footage of giant humpback whales, doing their thing off the coast of South Africa, in the Indian Ocean. These enormous animals can reach a length of 12-16 meters (39-52 feet) and can weigh as much as an astonishing 36,000 kg (79,000 lbs)! That’s approximately the same weight as 24 adult hippos! And when they’re doing this stunning aerial show right out of the water – you’d better keep your distance!
Being so large and heavy, you would expect such a beast to be cumbersome, but not if this footage is anything to go by. They execute their beautiful lifts right out of the water with a lot of grace and surprising maneuverability, considering their giant body mass! There’s one shot in particular that will have you gasping in disbelief, as a humpback gets some serious air! The whale totally leaves the water for a couple of seconds, before crashing back down and making more than a few waves. As we said – it’s a good job that these whale-watching tourists are keeping their distance in such a relatively small boat!
Scuba diver Craig Capeheart was the man on hand to capture this amazing footage, and he must have been counting his lucky stars that he was in the right place at the right time for this fantastic sea-life show, made all the more special because it was in the wild, and not some horrible aquarium that still tries to keep these gentle giants locked away, denied of their natural habitat just to make some money! FREE WILLY!
Seeing a whale “perform” in a prison is no way to see a whale at all, but being lucky enough to witness them doing it naturally in the wild would be one of the most memorable experiences you could possibly have. We’re very grateful that Craig managed to capture this footage – and we encourage readers to see the animals their ocean homes rather than pay to see them in chains. Share this wonderful video and get that message out!