Community Corner

A Whale Of A Surprise in Long Branch

Long Branch paddleboarder has the experience of a lifetime

LONG BRANCH, NJ - It's wasn't your ordinary paddleboarding day.

Brian Shea has been enjoying the ocean all over the world for decades. But he didn't have to go far for most amazing experience of his life.

He was paddleboarding off Long Branch in Monmouth County on Saturday when he had a close encounter with a humpback whale. He grabbed his GoPro and took a few shots.

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In a video posted on Facebook and Youtube, he slows down and seconds later a humpback whale emerges from the depths. Shea can't believe what he's looking at.

“I’ve been spending most of my life in the ocean for 40-plus years and have been everywhere from Tahiti to Hawaii to California to the Caribbean, and this experience was right up there with the best of them!” he told WHYY.

Find out what's happening in Long Branch-Eatontownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Photo: National Geographic, Video: Brian Shea, YouTube

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