Moment diving crew come ‘within touching distance’ of humpback whale as it rolls around in the water next to their boat in rare encounter in English Channel
- The humpback whale was spotted between Folkestone and Dover in Kent
- A diver who witnessed the rare sighting said it was ‘absolutely mesemerising’
This is the moment divers came ‘within touching distance’ of a humpback whale who rolled around in the water next to their boat in a rare sighting in the English Channel.
The group noticed the mammal which had popped up next to their boat as they made their way home from exploring a shipwreck off the coast of Kent.
Among them was experienced diver Thomas Packman, 26, who managed to film the sea creature as it rolled over and splashed its tail into the water.
Mr Packman said that in 13 years of diving, he had never seen anything like the ‘absolutely mesemerising’ display put on by the whale in English waters.
He said: ‘We were on our way back from a dive in Folkestone and about a mile away we saw a massive splash.
Divers have been left stunned after a rare sighting of a humpback whale in the English Channel
The sea creature was spotted as it rolled over and splashed its tail into the water
‘We had a thought it might be something like a whale or a dolphin because we had seen one about a month ago.
‘We got closer and sure enough, it was this massive tail sticking a few metres up in the air and continuously splashing on the water.
‘It was rolling around on the surface and just looked like it was having a good time really.
‘It came right up next to the boat and rolled over. It was slashing its tail on the water for a good five or 10 minutes.
‘It was an incredible experience, it really was amazing to see it.
‘We were quite shocked as we thought the sound of the boat would scare it away. It was almost in touching distance of the boat and then began rolling around.
‘You could see the whole length of it and see the white of it underneath when it rolled over and the dark grey on top. We were really surprised it hung around for as long as it did really.
The group, from Mutiny Divers, discovered the humpback whale in the English Channel between Dover and Folkestone
Although humpback whales are found in every ocean in the world, sightings in the Channel are rare
‘It was massive. I have been told it is quite rare to see one around here.’
The group, from Mutiny Divers, discovered the humpback whale in the English Channel between Dover and Folkestone.
Humpback whales, which can grow up to 18-meters in length, weigh up to 40 tonnes and live for 90 years, are found in every ocean in the world.
But sightings in the English Channel are rare. In 2015, a marine survey team saw a humpback in the Channel in 2015.
Other whale breeds are more commonly sighted in waters off the Kent coast, including beloved Benny the Beluga who became a local celebrity as he splashed near Gravesend, Kent, in 2018.
In December a Minke whale was also seen in a Dover harbour.
Mr Packman continued: ‘The chap I work with has been diving out here for 30 years and he has been all around the world and he has never seen one let alone that close.
‘It was a really amazing experience for all of us.
‘At first we wondered if it was stuck in a net or something, but then it started rolling over so we knew it was not.
‘One reason they do it is as a sign of aggression but we dismissed that as we saw it doing it a mile away from us before we even got there.
‘They can also do it when hunting to get the fish closer together but we think it was doing it to communicate with other whales.
‘The sound of the slamming of the tail on the surface travels very long distances and they believe it is a way of communicating over long distances.’
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