A fisherman in Cornwall had a ‘whale of a time’ on Monday when a marine favourite popped up to say hello.
James Tanner, aged 25, from St Ives was on his boat in Carbis Bay when the large whale breached the water and swam by his boat at a close range.
James managed to record the footage on his mobile phone and posted the footage online which has now reached more than 168,000 views on Facebook.
James said: “I freaked out when I saw it. Other fishermen in this area have never seen anything like this before.”
James isn’t sure what type of whale this however, some members of the public have commented on the post saying it could be a ‘young humpback whale’.
This isn’t the first time a humpback whale has been spotted in Cornwall. In December 2022, an adult and juvenile humpback whale was filmed breaching off the Lizard Peninsula.
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Although this is an exciting sight to see for the public and animals love, Cornwall Wildlife Trust warned members of the public to behave responsibly and admire wildlife from a distance after vessels were seen getting too close to the whales.
A picture of the humpback whale fin in December, 2022 (Image: Newsquest)
Abby Crosby, Marine Conservation Officer for Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: “Only in the last few years have humpback whale sightings been on the rise.
“Before then, it would’ve been extremely rare to spot one around the UK.
“People often don’t realise how incredible our seas are, even in winter. It’s magnificent to see these amazing creatures up close. But as always, we’d like to encourage people to put wildlife first, be respectful and keep their distance.”
