Amazing video of a humpback whale lobtailing near Cape May

This Facebook video, taken off the coast of Cape May last Sunday, is one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen.

Many thanks to Duck Menz, owner of Coastline Realty in Cape May, for posting it and allowing me to show it to you.

Video shows a humpback whale repeatedly “lobtailing.”

The five-minute video shows a humpback whale repeatedly lifting its tail out of the water and slapping it out to sea, a process called lobtaling.

I've seen whales do this once or twice in whale watching boat videos, but I've never seen anything like this whale. When the whale landed on the ocean's surface 25 times, I lost count.

Various people who have viewed the video have suggested that the whale is playing, showing off, having fun, or most likely trying to stop nearby boaters from coming closer.

Why a whale lobtails

According to consciousnessbreathingadventures.com, there is a chance that one of these things could happen.

Lobtailing is a social behavior that draws attention to a person. It could be used to impress a potential partner or intimidate a competitor.

Humpback whales often make repeated lob tails. They can throw their tail from front to back or from back to front. Sometimes they stop just long enough to catch their breath before continuing on the other side.

Given that an adult humpback whale's fluke can be up to 15 feet wide, this is a very impressive spectacle!

It's definitely an impressive show.

Watch this amazing video…