A free-diving instructor had a once-in-a-lifetime moment when a massive Bryde’s whale suddenly emerged during a feeding frenzy in Mexico’s Pacific waters.
Emily Marzilli of Baja California Sur was diving near a giant sardine bait ball, which is a survival tactic for small fish against predators, when something extraordinary happened.
Without warning, a massive whale surfaced, and took a huge bite of the shimmering circular mass of fish, then vanished as soon as it appeared.
The brief two-minute encounter left Emily and her fellow divers in shock and awe, a rare experience that as divers can only be dreamed of.
Magdalena Bay is an area renowned for its “National Geographic-level action” during sardine season.
The group had discovered the bait ball, which can grow to the size of a car.
Striped marlin, measuring up to two meters long, were circling the formation as the divers maintained a safe distance of 50-60 feet.
When the marlin began attacking the bait ball, the feeding frenzy created a cloud of foam that obscured their vision.
“Out of nowhere, this Bryde’s whale came and just took a huge bite out of the baitball and just swam away.”
The massive marine mammal appeared suddenly from the cloudy water like magic.
“Half of it was (spent) honestly in shock because you are expecting to see fish and then all of a sudden there’s this 20-30 ton whale that’s right in front of you.”
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The Bryde’s whale is a baleen whale belonging to the same group as blue whales and humpbacks. It has no teeth, but has two rows of baleen plates.
The encounter lasted only about two minutes, but its impact was profound. The five divers found themselves looking at each other afterward, wondering if ‘that just happened to us or not.’
After the whale departed and the bait ball disappeared, consumed by both fish and whale, the group returned to their boat.
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“We had no idea that there was even a whale in the proximity,” she said.
“When the whale comes out of nowhere, it totally surprises you,” Marzilli said. “Those are interactions that you can only dream of and wish to happen.”
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