Did anyone have a humpback whale crashing surfing event on their Olympic bingo card? Mother nature is full of surprises and can continue to astonish us on the regular.
A humpback whale decided it wanted to remind everyone who the real king of the ocean is. While surfers show off serious skill, they pale in comparison to something like the whale. Female surfers were competing in the semifinals for the Paris Olympics in Tahiti. That's when they encountered something from the depths. Fortunately, it wasn't a great white shark looking to recreate Jaws. Still, being so close to a humpback whale was probably equal parts awe-inspiring and terrifying as well.
The whale shot up out of the water like it was starring in a new aquatics documentary. It struck it's best pose for the camera proving that it is an all-star in the making. I can already see Hollywood churning up their next animal-themed film. The whale appeared during the semi-finals on Monday. Olympians Tatiana Weston-Webb from Brazil and Brisa Hennessy from Costa Rica competed against each other.
Humpback Whale Makes Surprise Appearance
Given the nature of the sport, surfing for the Olympics isn't held in Paris. Instead, Tahiti became the venue for the sport far away from the rest of the competition. Fortunately for viewers everywhere, humpback whales generally decide to migrate during this period. So one popping up isn't a complete surprise even if it was shocking. In New Zealand, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands, legislation recognizes the whales as "legal persons."
Viewers certainly appreciated the surprise visitor. One wrote, "He just wants to watch some Olympics ? best seat in the house lol." Another wrote, "Whale gets the gold medal." Another wrote, "If I were the surfers I don't know if I'd be amazed or terrified... very cool from afar though."
Yet another wrote, "He just wants to join in on all the fun. He's showing off his skills." Still, another wrote, "Awww what a cutie pie! ? wants to show its talents too."
