Watch as 40-Ton Humpback Whale Jumps Clear Out Of The Water And Stuns Onlookers

Never before has a recording been made of an adult humpback whale leaping entirely out of the water!

Video may be a first for an adult humpback whale jumping clear of the water

This video capture by diver Craig Capehart shows a humpback whale mother cow swimming with a calf. It shows an adult 40 ton whale on its back, slapping both its left and right fins on the water, then leaping entirely out of the water!

Scuba divers capture epic humpback footage while waiting for sardines

It was a rare clear, crisp, cold, winter day offshore Mbotyi in Pondoland, Eastern Cape province, South Africa (formerly Transkei). 

The seas were unusually calm that winters day on the Indian Ocean. That wouldn’t last long, soon returning to howling winds, whitecap waves, and giant swells! And it was cold. Cold on land, at sea, and in the water.

Craig Capehart and three friends are SCUBA divers in a small "rubber duck" inflatable boat.

The friends are waiting for sardines in the 2017 annual world famous "South African Sardine Run", a mass migration of pilchard fish up the east coast of Africa. 

However, they are not interested in the sardines but rather the predators they attract. Hungry bottlenose and common dolphins herd the long line of small sardines into compact groups called "bait balls". Once a ball is formed, a feeding frenzy ensues. Dolphins, sharks, and birds feast on the dense pack of small fish.

Entertaining them while they wait are migrating humpback whales. Some are a mothers with calves. Some are males traveling in small groups. (Continued below)

Source: YouTube/CraigCapehart

The 40-ton whale can be seen on its back slapping its fins before leaping clear of the surface

This day, there were few sardine sightings but the whales seemed to be everywhere! An unexpected bonus!

The video shows a humpback whale mother cow swimming with a calf. It shows an adult 40 ton whale on its back, slapping both its left and right fins on the water, then leaping entirely out of the water!

It seems that never before has a recording been made of an adult humpback whale leaping entirely out of the water! A very rare event, indeed.

Dolphins and even Great White Sharks have been seen flying fully out of the water, but this is thought to be a first for an adult humpback whale.

Source: YouTube//CraigCapehart