Footage shows rare sighting of humpback whale off north coast of Cornwall

  • Watch the humpback whale spotted during a sea safari

A humpback whale has been spotted off the north coast of Cornwall during a sea safari. Ian Kitto, who works at Padstow Sealife Safari, captured the experience on camera much to the excitement of those on the boat with him.

He explained that it was the first ever sighting of a humpback whale on one of the safaris saying the "crew as well as passengers were very excited".

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In a post to its Facebook page later the team wrote: "We have just had our first ever sighting of a humpback whale on our two hour Sealife Safari!

"These amazing whales can grow up to 15 metres long, with distinctive huge pectoral fins, a third of the length of their body.

"They can also be identified by their tail flukes which they lift up out of the water as they dive. Needless to say, our crew as well as passengers were very excited!"

Humpback whale numbers are thought to be strong around Cornwall, although sightings like this remain relatively rare.