PLYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - Bob Babcock was enjoying his day paddleboarding off the coast of Plymouth Beach when a whale popped up next to him, and he captured video of it bumping into a boat.
“It surfaced right next to me, just a few feet away, and sprayed and blew spray up on my legs then swam under my board,” said Babcock.
Before the close encounter, Babcock said that the whale popped up right in front of him and next to a group of men fishing, rocking their boat.
“All of a sudden, the boat went up, moved and shifted sideways,” said Babcock.
Plymouth Beach is no stranger to whale encounters. In early June, videographer Tom Sleeper captured footage of a humpback whale swimming just 200 yards from shore with his drone.
According to experts, the high tides enable the whales to get closer to shore as they follow their food.
“When these schools of small bait fish come close to the coast, the whales will follow them in after,” said Whale and Dolphin Conservation Policy Manager Monica Pepe. “The whales are here to eat as much as they possibly can, so they’ll go wherever they can find the fish, and right now, that happens to be right here along the coast of Plymouth.”
Experts said that if you come in close contact with a whale, stay out of their direct path and if on a boat, go into neutral or shut off your engines.
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