Off Beat

Video: Trio of humpback whales breach in sync off Cape Cod

“Nobody would believe it if we didn’t capture it.”

Three whales breaching in sync off Cape Cod, captured by Robert Addie on video. Robert Addie/Handout, via The Boston Globe

By Abby Patkin

July 27, 2023

A family fishing off Cape Cod Monday caught more than they bargained for when a trio of humpback whales breached in sync near their boat.

“It was spectacular. Literally, I’ve seen thousands of whales,” Robert Addie told Boston 25 News. “I was stunned by the whales and stunned that I got it on video. … Nobody would believe it if we didn’t capture it.”

Addie, who lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was down in Massachusetts for a birthday weekend with his three daughters when they caught the moment on camera, according to The Boston Globe.

The video, posted to Addie’s Facebook page, shows three whales leaping from the water in unison, followed by a calf breaching by itself a few moments later.

Video contains an explicit exclamation.

It’s not exactly clear why humpback whales breach, according to an article from Whale SENSE, a program sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Whale and Dolphin Conservation that promotes responsible whale watching practices.

Whale SENSE naturalists suggest the behavior could be a way to look around, communicate, slough off barnacles, or even play.

There have been a number of notable interactions between whales and humans around Cape Cod in recent years.

Last year, a breaching humpback whale landed on a boat in Plymouth, startling a father and son before sliding back into the water (no humans or whales were harmed in the making of that viral video). The same month, a whale bumped into a small boat off Plymouth as a group of fishermen onboard were reeling in a catch.

And in 2021, a humpback whale off the coast of Provincetown briefly swallowed a commercial lobster diver, who emerged with bruises and a rare story to tell.

Addie told Boston 25 that he’s fished off Gloucester and Alaska and seen his fair share of whales, but Monday’s moment was a first.

“I’ll tell ya, I’ve never seen a triple in sync like that,” Addie told the news station. “Every time I take my phone out to take a picture of these guys, they go away. And bang. Just pure luck. Wow, what a sight!”