Sea creatures leap for hours off the California coast. See them ‘popcorn’

A group got the chance to witness sea creatures “pop” from the water for hours off California coast.

On June 26, “popcorn” humpback whales were seen breaching, according to a Facebook post by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

The “fun” encounter showed the whales exhibiting different behaviors, the group said.

Photos shows the whales leaping from the water, with one picture showing the whale parallel with the ocean’s surface, the group said.

“Humpback whales reach sexual maturity between the ages of 4 and 10 years,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Calves stay close to their mom for up to a year before weaning, with the mother being “protective” and “swimming closely and often touching them with their flippers,” according to the NOAA.

Watching a whale breach is one of he most “spectacular behaviors” they can exhibit as they “propel” themselves out of the water, The Marine Mammal Center said.

They usually display this behavior as a means of communicating with other whales as the sound of them slapping their bodies against the water can be “heard for miles,” the center said.

Throughout the day, the group was able to see 39 humpback whales and 15 Risso’s dolphin, the group said.

Users ran to the comments to share their thoughts on the photos with one person saying, “WOW.”

“I so want to experience this,” another wrote.

“What a show!!” another said.

Monterey is about a 120-mile drive south from San Francisco.

This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Sea creatures leap for hours off the California coast. See them ‘popcorn’."