Whale upstages athletes by jumping out of water during Olympic surfing event in Tahiti

whale olympic surfing event

Whale steals show by jumping out of water at Olympic surfing event

As if the incredible athleticism at the Olympics was not enough to captivate the audience, an unexpected ‘guest’ made a splash at a surfing event in Tahiti on Monday (5 Aug).

whale olympic surfing

Source: @BrouilletJerome on X

Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb and Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy were paddling out to sea for their semifinal match when a whale suddenly breached the water and stunned spectators.

Yahoo! Sports reported that the whale lept about three metres above the surface, as if to check out the Olympic surfing event, before crashing back into the water and swimming away.

According to AP News, it is common for wild animals such as birds, seals, and even sharks to make appearances while people are surfing, no matter where they are in the world.

In Tahiti, whales are a particularly common sight, especially during mating, birthing, and migration seasons.

whale olympic surfing

Source: @OllyMio on X

Brazilian surfer goes on to win silver

As for the athletes in the surfing event, Weston-Webb secured a spot in the finals by winning her semifinal match with a score of 13.66.

She went on to earn a silver medal, finishing behind the United States’ Caroline Marks, who claimed the gold with a score of 10.50.

Also read: Brazilian surfer strikes stunning mid-air pose after setting highest score in Olympic history

Brazilian surfer strikes stunning mid-air pose after setting highest score in Olympic history

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Featured image adapted from @BrouilletJerome on X

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