When Whales And Sharks Have Their Eyes On You
Spyhopping is when whales and some sharks that consists of rising vertically out of the water, head first, and scanning the surrounding area.A whale rises and holds position partially out of the water, exposing its head in a controlled and slow manner. Spyhopping can last for minutes at a time if the whale is sufficiently inquisitive about whatever (or whomever) it is viewing. Whales rely on their exceptional buoyancy control and positioning with pectoral fins to enable it to see whatever is nearby on the surface. Spyhopping among Orcas may be to view prey species because the view is held steady for a longer period of time.
The Great white shark and blacktip reef shark have also been known to spyhop.
The Great white shark is one of only a few sharks known to regularly lift its head above the sea surface to gaze at other objects such as prey.
Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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