<\/p>\n
\nA humpback whale breaches in Bream bay just 50 metres from Michele Adams’ boat.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/Michele Adams\n<\/p>\n
Friends fishing in Northland’s Bream Bay were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, when a huge humpback whale leapt from the sea just 50 metres from their boat.<\/p>\n
Michele Adams, her husband and another couple were returning from a morning’s fishing trip at the Hen and Chicken Islands last Sunday, when they saw the water churning.<\/p>\n
They pulled in their lines and were motoring closer to investigate, when the whale burst from the sea in a mighty leap.<\/p>\n
“He was enormous, at least twice the size of the boat,” she said. “He was jumping out of the water and flapping his fins all over the place.<\/p>\n
“He was showing off and putting on an amazing performance.”<\/p>\n
The boat was seven metres, making the whale about 14 metres long – the size of an adult humpback.<\/p>\n
“It was amazing, awesome and unforgettable,” Adams said. “It was so cool – that’s the only way to explain it.<\/p>\n
“We were lucky enough to have been able to take pictures.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nA humpback whale breaches in Bream bay just 50 metres from Michele Adams’ boat.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/Michele Adams\n<\/p>\n
After the breaching display, the whale cruised slowly away down Bream Bay.<\/p>\n
Adams, who had a home at Langs Beach, said she had visited Bream Bay for more than 40 years.<\/p>\n
While dolphins and smaller whales were often seen in the bay, this was the first time she had seen a humpback.<\/p>\n
Adams said the humpback sighting highlighted her concerns about a proposed sand-mining project off Bream Bay.<\/p>\n
Auckland company McCallum Brothers have applied for consent, through the fast-track process<\/a>, to dredge more than eight million cubic metres of sand from the Bream Bay over the next 35 years.<\/p>\n A decision on the consent has yet to be made.<\/p>\n \nThe humpback falls back into the ocean with a mighty splash.<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: Supplied\/Michele Adams\n<\/p>\n