Amazing Humpback Whale Encounter Off the Coast of Washington (VIDEO)

Thanks to “Blackfish,” we should all know by now that whales do not belong in captivity (but if you need a quick refresher, just click here). Instead of experiencing whales in stale concrete boxes, we should opt for more natural encounters through whale watching programs, where we can see whales be themselves in relative peace.

Recently, a group of whale watchers from Maya’s Westside Charters had quite the encounter on their trip in Haro Strait, off the coast of San Juan Island, Washington. They spotted a young humpback whale near D’Arcy Island, located in Canadian waters. The whale hovered in their line of sight for a short while, then disappeared.

However, not long after, she popped up right next to their boat to the great surprise of everyone on board.

“We saw its fluke as it went underneath the boat, and of course everyone was thrilled, amazed, a little concerned,” said Maya’s Westside Whale Watching organizer Jim Maya to CBC.

Passenger Jeanne Hyde blogged about the encounter and later posted an 11 minute video on YouTube of Wendy (the nickname given to the female whale).

According to CBC, Maya estimated Wendy to be around five years old. She’s reported to have swum around and underneath the boat for about an hour.

Experience what the whale watchers did with the video below, detailing their amazing encounter with whale Wendy.

Image source: Mike Baird / Flickr