Humpback whale surprises whale watchers near Lewis

A party of whale watchers got an unexpected treat when a humpback surfaced close to their boat.

The group on a trip organised by Gairloch-based Hebridean Whale Cruises were off Tiumpan Head on Lewis.

The cruise firm’s Lucy Baldwin captured the encounter with the whale in a video.

She said: “We had not expected a whale to show up so close to us. It was just amazing.”

Humpbacks are large whales known for behaviour called breaching, which sees the animals flinging themselves up out of water.

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