NJ Fishermen Have Close Encounter With Dolphins And Whales

This is some insane video! A group of fishermen were about 65 miles off the coast of Long Beach Island when they spotted some dolphins. Naturally, one of the guys wanted to get the sight on camera. While seeing dolphins splash in and out of the water, it's nothing compared to what came next:

AHH holy crap!

Mark Haley was out fishing with his two sons, Jeff and Luke, and their friend Patrick Mulligan, when they caught this once-in-a-lifetime footage. I'm not sure who was holding the camera, but the way he screams "oh my god I got it on film" is so perfect!

Mark told NJ.com:

We were fishing in an area where there were a lot of dolphins and whales, and the whales usually do not bother us, but, for whatever reason, this one came up and struck the boat port side and really put us for a scare. Fortunately, the boat didn’t get capsized, and we did not go overboard.

This video totally reminded me of the Long Branch lifeguard who was out on his paddleboard when a humpback breached the surface.

I know it's been a cliche to point out that with fewer people in the water, more animals are coming closer to shore. I know that 65 miles out isn't "close to shore", and you're more likely to see animals at that distance anyway, but we've still seen the stories about less big cargo ships moving goods, so animals continue to show up in greater numbers in more locations.