A unique sight: a whale swam next to a sailboat in the Ionian Sea

The passengers of a sailing ship sailing from Zakynthos to Pylos along the Ionian Sea witnessed a unique spectacle.

As shown in a video on a Facebook page called Boating in Greece, passengers saw a huge whale swim just meters from their boat and later accompany them on their journey.

“It’s an amazing sight to travel on a sailboat from Zakynthos to Pylos. We saw a huge whale!” says a post on the page under the video posted on Facebook.

Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 km annually. They feed in polar waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth, to starve, and to live off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mainly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a varied range of feeding techniques, including the soap net technique.

These huge mammals disappeared from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea about a hundred years ago. Now, however, biologists' research indicates that the whales have decided to return again. During migration, this species covers huge distances from the North and South Poles to the equator, where the whales head during the breeding season.

A group of experts from the University of Seville claim that humpback whale visits to the Mediterranean have increased in recent years. This could be explained by the fact that some individuals end up there due to disorientation during migration. However, scientists believe that the main reason is the search for food.

Climate change, which has led to changes in sea temperatures, has provoked the emergence of new species in Mediterranean waters, such as Antarctic krill, which, along with crabs and some species of fish that live here, is a favorite delicacy of humpback whales. It is for this reason, biologists believe, that whales are increasingly stopping in our area to refresh themselves and recuperate on their long journey from the pole to the equator.

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