Paddleboarder comes extremely close to whale off Plymouth coast
PLYMOUTH – When a paddleboarder heard whales were spotted off Manomet Beach in Plymouth over the weekend, he was determined to come face-to-face with the creature.
"It's just incredible. It's an amazing thing that most people will never see," said Michael Manfredi.
A photographer snapped a picture just as the whale's head breached the water.
Manfredi was on a paddleboard off the coast of Plymouth Sunday morning during the incredibly close encounter.
"That whale came out of the water, I saw the bubbles coming," Manfredi told WBZ-TV. "I said uh-oh, here it comes. It came up right next to me."
He's no stranger to the water. Manfredi paddled out that morning to get as close to a whale as he could – without getting swallowed, of course.
"First you see all the fish coming up," he said. "They start kicking the fish up and then you see the front of the whale coming up. Then all of a sudden, the mouth opens, and fish are going everywhere."
It's an unbelievable sight that's too close for comfort for many.
The Tennis family is visiting the Cape from upstate New York, and they're paying good money for a view like this.
"Would you be terrified if that were you," asked reporter Tiffany Chan.
"Yeah, I don't think I'd want to be that close," replied Jake Tennis. "He probably could've been eaten by the whale… easily."
Manfredi said he's just chasing the next glimpse. "You get a little nervous," Manfredi said. "But I really enjoy wildlife. It's what I do."