Stunning photo shows paddleboarder's extremely close encounter with a whale in Massachusetts
When a paddleboarder heard whales were spotted off Manomet Beach in Plymouth, Massachusetts, 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.
Manfredi was on a paddleboard off the coast of Plymouth on Sunday morning during the incredibly close encounter. He went out that morning to get as close to a whale as he could – without getting swallowed, of course.
A photographer snapped a picture just as the whale's head breached the water.
"That whale came out of the water, I saw the bubbles coming," Manfredi told CBS Boston. "I said uh-oh, here it comes. It came up right next to me."
"First you see all the fish coming up," he added. "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. Another man, who is visiting the area from upstate New York with his family, told CBS Boston reporter Tiffany Chan that "I don't think I'd want to be that close."
"He probably could've been eaten by the whale… easily," the man added.
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."
