Happier Than A Humpback Whale; Watch This Guy Play In The Pacific

DANA POINT, CA — There is something amazing about watching a humpback whale come into their own. Recently, off the coast of Dana Point, a juvenile humpback spread its flukes and flew to splash down into the water over and again.

Local whale watching Captain Dave Anderson shared this playful display of power and agility earlier this week.

"Mark Tyson, first mate and photographer with Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari, said this was best humpback show he has seen in his 14-year career," Anderson told us.

The humpback whale is estimated to be less than two years old, according to Anderson.

"The whale was seen on both Saturday and Sunday breaching repeatedly just a few miles off the coast of Dana Point, California, where humpbacks can be seen anytime throughout the year," he said.

Humpback whales are migrating from their mating and calving grounds off Mexico and Central America to feed on krill and small schooling fish such as sardines.

The whales filter up to 3,000 pounds of food per day through plates of black baleen that hang from the top of the upper jaw. Humpback whales can weigh up to 40 tons and are well known for their breathtaking behaviors such as breaching and tail slapping.

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Photo, courtesy Craig DeWitt, Dolphinsafari.com