Growing to lengths in the 80 to 90-foot range and weighing up to 70+ tons, it’s easy to understand why Fin whales don’t often shoot out of the water in a magnificent breach. Even more rare however, is to have it all captured on film.

But that wasn’t the case for a lucky group of researchers from CIRCE, a Spanish cetacean conservation group, who captured the event while filming in the Strait of Gibraltar earlier this month.

In a video and photo posted to their Facebook page, you can the see a Fin whale breach in all its jaw-dropping glory.

The video below actually shows two of the breaches witnessed by researchers that day; the first at :03 and the second towards the end at 1:12.

Fin whales are the second longest animals on the planet, next only to the blue whale, and can swim at speeds of up to 23 m.p.h. Their long and slender body shape has earned them the nickname “the greyhound of the sea”.

Photo courtesy CIRCE