Humpback whale: Rare whale spotted off the coast of UK!

The whale slapped its tail fin for a few minutes

A humpback whale has been spotted right here in the UK!

The humpback whale was spotted by a couple who were sailing just two miles off the coast of Cornwall this week.

They managed to get a few snaps of the huge whale playing in the water and slapping its tail before it disappeared into the ocean.

It was a rare sight at this time year according to conservationists.

Why was this whale spot so rare?

Humpbacks are usually only spotted in Cornwall in winter, but there have been more sightings in the past few years

Spotting a whale off the coast of the UK is lucky at any time. But they're usually only spotted around Cornwall, in the South of the UK, during winter.

So when the sailing pair first spotted some splashes they were shocked when ahumpback whale emerged from the water in front of them.

The sea was choppy, but they suddenly noticed a fin on the surface of the water. And then were treated to a few minutes of the whale performing and splashing its tail around. Scientists say that whales slap their tails like this to talk with one another!

The pair said the sighting of the whale was "totally unexpected" and a "privilege".

World Oceans Day

The humpback whale in Cornwall was spotted just days before the UN's World Ocean's Day

Just this week some of you may have celebrated the world's oceans and reflect on how best to protect them for World Ocean's Day.

Spotting the humpback whale in the same week as World Oceans Day might have been a lucky chance. But the two sailors pointed out in their blog that "we must do all we can to protect our blue planet and the wonderful marine life that call it home."

Have you ever spotted a rare animal in the ocean? Which is your favourite marine animal? Let us know in the comments.