Sea creatures skyrocket from water off California coast. See ‘breaching bonanza’

Boaters off the coast of California got the chance to see a “breaching bonanza,” and passengers are calling the moment “exciting.”

As the day’s winds picked up, so did the humpback whales’ energy levels, causing them to leap from the water, according to an Aug. 21 Facebook post by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

The sighting involved tail slapping and the whales slapping their pectoral fin against the ocean’s surface, boaters said.

Humpbacks usually display this behavior as a means of communicating with other whales as the sound of them slapping their bodies against the water can be “heard for miles” underwater, according to The Marine Mammal Center.

Facebook users rushed to the comments to share their thoughts on the encounter with one person saying, “Incredible shots.”

“Awesome breaches!!!” another wrote.

“Wow crazy jumps,” someone said.

Monterey is about a 120-mile drive southeast from San Francisco.

This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Sea creatures skyrocket from water off California coast. See ‘breaching bonanza’."