A whale leapt out of the water and hit a boat off the US coastal region Jersey Shore this week, making for moment of a lifetime for the vessel's occupants.
The boat belonged to a father-son duo on a fishing trip, NBC News reported. The son, Zach Piller, managed to the get the entire scene on video and shared it on his Instagram profile.
The clip began with fervent activity in the water. Suddenly a shoal of fish came out came out the water, followed by a whale's massive head. It struck the side of their boat before going back into the water.
"I got that on video!", a stunned Piller shouted, joking with his father about how he managed to hold his fishing rod throughout the commotion.
Warning: The video below contains coarse language
The video drew astonished reactions from Instagram users.
"I would’ve needed a new heart and pants," one user joked.
"Pops focused on catching that fish," another comment read.
"This is going to blow up," a third user wrote.
For experts too, this was a novel occurrence.
Zoologist Eric Otjen told NBC it was common for humpback whales to feed on small fish close to the shore but not for them to be that near a boat
"You probably have a better chance of winning the lottery (than a whale sighting so close)," he said. "It popped up where it popped up.”
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