These whale watchers were blown away when FOUR giant humpbacks ate the fish hidden beneath their boats.
The giant creatures dwarfed the tourist boat next to them as they hurl themselves across the water, much to the delight of stunned whale-watchers.
The spectacular display took place in Monterey Bay, California, showing four humpback whales alongside sealions and seagulls as they all battled it out for a taste of the anchovies hiding below the ship.
Photographer Jodi Frediani was on hand to capture the action and said the whales got quite close to the boat.
She said: “The whales, sea lions, and birds are having a feast. That’s for sure.
“We were lucky enough to find four humpback whales feeding on the surface, one of the most exciting things to see whales do.
“I was on board the Monterey Bay Whale Watch’s Sea Wolf II when two of the whales, feeding lunge, came quite close to another company’s boat.”
Predation is when whales consume large amounts of prey and water after propelling themselves forward with great force.
They then use a feeding system with a baleen filter that acts as a giant sieve and allows them to remove any excess water.
Jodi added: “Sometimes the anchovies will hide under the boat, trying to escape from the huge mouths of feeding whales.
“Sometimes they get lucky, at least for a while. But whales are experts at what they do, and sooner or later, little fish become lunch or dinner.
“The anchovies gather in a ball of bait to escape predators.
“While this will help protect most of them from diving birds and sea lions, the bait ball is exactly what humpback whales are looking for—the more compact the fish, the bigger the meal for the whales.
“California sea lions joined the fray to pick up stray fish as the whale lunge up through the bait ball.
“The seagulls, always opportunists, wait for the fish to be stunned and then come to the surface.
“Overall, it was a great day for everyone, except for the fish.”
Check out the incredible video below!
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