Video: Humpback Whale Stuns With Close-Up Encounter In OC

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Passengers aboard a Davey's Locker Whale Watching tour vessel were treated to the experience of a lifetime this week: a curious humpback whale getting up-close-and-personal with dozens of delighted boaters off the coast of Orange County.

The sighting was reported Sunday afternoon after passengers aboard the Catallac spotted the whale, believed to be between 40 to 50 feet long and weighing roughly 60,000 pounds.

The whale approached the boat and lingered nearby, offering passengers an unforgettable show of spy hopping, rolling and investigative behavior just feet from the vessel.

"Incredible," one onlooker exclaimed against a chorus of awed responses.

According to Davey's Locker Whale Watching Spokesperson Jessica Rodriguez, the unique moments are known in the whale-watching community as "mugging" and occur when a whale becomes so curious about a boat that it chooses to closely inspect it — sometimes for 30 minutes or more.

"Humpback whales are one of the species of big baleen whales that are more gregarious, curious, and friendly than other species of whales," Rodriguez told Patch. "So if we have encounters like this, it's often with Humpbacks. However, that being said, it's still an extremely rare occurrence, our boat has to be in the right place at the right time near a humpback whale that's in the right mood in order for us to experience a friendly encounter."

When asked how many times these chance meetings happen per year, Rodriguez said the sightings are low and vary.

"I'd say it happens only a handful of times a year — and we're whale watching multiple times a day, for 365 days a year across our fleet of over 6 whale watching boats in Newport Beach," she said.

To learn more about tours offered by Davey's Locker Whale Watching, visit the agency's website.