Giant whale surges through massive bait ball in rare feeding frenzy: Watch the video

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Giant whale surges through massive bait ball in rare feeding frenzy: Watch the video

Group dive near sardine bait ball turns chaotic when massive Bryde's whale appears before them

Kelly McGreal Fox News

Published

January 4, 2026 12:30pm EST

Video

Rare feeding frenzy leaves diving group frozen after whale vanishes

Freediving instructor Emily Marzilli describes a startling moment in Magdalena Bay when a feeding whale surged into a sardine cloud, forcing her group to pause, regroup and reflect on witnessing an extraordinary ocean event.

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A freediving instructor had an encounter of a lifetime with a massive whale while diving off Mexico’s Pacific coast.

Emily Marzilli, 27, was diving with friends near a large sardine bait ball when activity in the water suddenly intensified.

Moments later, a Bryde’s whale surged out of the cloudy water, took a massive bite of the bait ball — and then disappeared just as quickly, Marzilli told news agency SWNS.

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Bryde’s whales are large baleen whales commonly found in warm, tropical and subtropical waters.

The species is considered one of the great whales, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.

Large whale breaching above the ocean surface with seabirds flying overhead on a clear day.

Bryde’s whales are large baleen whales found in warm waters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website said. (iStock)

The unexpected encounter left the divers momentarily frozen.

Marzilli said it took several seconds to process what had happened, as the group had been focused on watching fish just moments earlier.

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"Half of it was honestly in shock because you are expecting to see fish, and then all of a sudden there's this 20-, 30-ton whale that's right in front of you," she said.

The encounter lasted only about two minutes, but Marzilli said it felt unforgettable.

A Bryde's whale during a feeding frenzy in Mexico's Pacific waters

A diver was near a large sardine bait ball with friends when activity suddenly spiked — and a Bryde’s whale surged through the water. (SWNS)

The dive took place in November in Magdalena Bay off Baja California Sur, an area known for intense marine activity during sardine season, SWNS said.

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Marzilli said the bait ball her group was observing was unusually large.

Freediver, Emily Marzilli smiling in the ocean with goggles on after seeing a brydes whale in Mexico.

The November dive in Magdalena Bay off Baja California Sur left the group in disbelief. (SWNS)

The divers were keeping a safe distance of roughly 15 to 20 meters when the feeding frenzy escalated.

As fish began attacking the bait ball more aggressively, visibility dropped as the water filled with foam.

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After the whale vanished and the bait ball was quickly consumed, the five divers surfaced in silence, exchanging looks of disbelief.

Marzilli said the experience was something she never expected to witness firsthand.

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"Those are types of interactions that you can only dream of and wish to happen," she said.

Kelly McGreal is a production assistant with the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.

Giant whale surges through massive bait ball in rare feeding frenzy: Watch the video