KITTERY, Maine (WHDH) – A humpback whale delighted boaters off the coast of Kittery, Maine Thursday when it jumped out of the water just feet from their boat.
The Kittery Police Department shared video of the moment on its Facebook page, crediting the video to Officer Danny Contois.
The police department said Contois was off-duty when he captured the “magnificent sight.”
“Happy 4th everyone!” Kittery police said.
Contois’ video shows the whale apparently trying to catch a school of fish near the surface of the water.
People on Contois’ boat can be heard reacting as the whale sinks back below the waves.
Global humpback whale populations have rebounded significantly since a final moratorium on commercial whaling in 1985, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Known to live in oceans around the world, NOAA said, the whales migrate thousands of miles from tropical breeding grounds to colder feeding areas.
NOAA lists coastal New England as one such feeding area.
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