Tail-slapping humpback whale takes fellow fishermen to school

A group of fishermen searching for striped bass Saturday morning near Moriches Inlet were greeted instead by a humpback whale.

Paul Peluso, 51, of Center Moriches, said he went fishing with friends near the inlet, which connects Moriches Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on Suffolk’s South Shore, about 10 a.m. Saturday, when he saw a humpback whale repeatedly slapping its tail against the water.

“For about 10 minutes you’d hear this boom, boom, boom, and then he was gone,” Peluso said Sunday.

Peluso posted a short clip of the whale on Facebook. It’s been shared nearly 300 times.

Humpback whales slap their tails against the water to scare schools of fish together, making them easier to hunt, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website.