"Magnificent sight": Video shows humpback whale leaping out of the water in Maine
KITTERY, Maine - A police officer in Maine got up close and personal with a humpback whale on the Fourth of July.
Kittery police said officer Danny Contois was off-duty and on a boat when he captured a "magnificent sight" close to shore. His video, which has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook, shows the humpback jumping out of the water.
The video shows a bunch of fish flying out of the water too as the leaping whale tries to catch a meal.
"Holy moly. Wow," Contois can be heard saying in the video.
"Stay away" from humpback whale, harbormaster says
WGME reports that the sighting happened in Pepperrell Cove off the coast of Kittery. Another whale breach was also seen in the cove on Thursday, though it wasn't clear if it was the same whale.
The Kittery harbormaster posted a message for boaters in the area.
"Say hello to our visiting humpback whale, but please stay away from him," the harbormaster said. "He's feeding on the abundance of fish in the area, but if you spook him he could get injured and none of us want that."
The Gulf of Maine is a popular feeding area for humpback whales, according to the New England Aquarium. Last month, a crew freed a young whale from entanglement off the coast of Massachusetts. The 5-month-old calf could have died if rescuers were not able to cut it free from the rope that was wrapped around its body.