Breaching Humpback Whale Captured On Video In San Francisco Bay

SAN FRANCISCO — A photographer in the Bay Area recorded a whale breaching Friday afternoon in San Francisco Bay between Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge, according to KRON, which published the footage.

The whale recorded by photographer George Kaskanlian is a humpback, the Marine Mammal Center confirmed to KRON.

“A whale breaching is among the most spectacular behaviors you can see in nature,” according to the center’s website. “During a breach, the whale propels itself out of the water in either a spinning or non-spinning motion.”

Breaching is suspected to be a way for whales to communicate with other whales, as the splash can be heard for miles underwater, according to the center.