What was supposed to be the first sailing trip of the year turned into something far more memorable for a group of friends yesterday.
After leaving Hornbæk Harbour in north Zealand, the group heard what they initially believed to be a porpoise blowing air while surfacing.
But the massive shape near their boat turned out to be a sperm whale.
“We were on the verge of tears,” Jens Peder Jeppensen, the head of Øresund Aquarium – who sailed out to see the whale after hearing the news of the spotting – told Helsingør Dagblad.
“It was 12-15 metres. I’ve seen many whales and this one was a really big specimen. An old fellow that can weigh 18-25 tonnes.”
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A rare visitor
Initially, the whale was believed to be a humpback whale, which is spotted about once every year in Denmark.
But experts have since ascertained that the whale is a sperm whale, a far rarer visitor to Danish waters – about once every three years.
The whale is most likely moving south, so it is unlikely to remain in Danish waters for long.
