People.com Lifestyle Pets Humpback Whale Dramatically Dwarfs Fishing Boat During Huge Leap From the Sea These stunning shots were captured in Monterey, California, by photographer Douglas Croft By Kelli Bender Kelli Bender Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor for PEOPLE Digital and PEOPLE magazine. She has been with the PEOPLE brand for more than eight years, working as a writer/producer across PEOPLE's Lifestyle, Features, and Entertainment verticals before taking on her current role. Kelli is also an editor on PEOPLE's Stories to Make You Smile and serves as an editorial lead on PEOPLE's World's Cutest Rescue Dog Contest and Pet Product Awards. Before joining PEOPLE, Kelli helped AOL and Whalerock launch a pet lifestyle site called PawNation. She is a pet parent to a cat named Wallace, and her professional and personal devotion to animals has taken her to three dog weddings ... so far. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 13, 2019 05:07 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Douglas Croft/Caters Don't rock the boat! According to the New York Post, a humpback whale made some major waves in Monterey, California. Whale watcher and photographer Douglas Croft was in the perfect spot to capture shots of the whale leaping out of the sea right in front of a fisherman's tiny boat. In the pictures, the whale rising vertically out from the water looms over the little craft, but photos can be deceiving. While the whale Croft photographed is indeed "huge," the man also worked his angles. Diver Recounts Being Swallowed and Spat Out By 20-Ton Whale: 'Nothing Can Prepare You Croft took the picture from the porthole of another boat, which allowed him to get an upward angle on the breaching sea creature. This angle made the animal look even bigger. "I went below deck to shoot from a porthole close to the water line. That's what gives this amazing perspective of looking up at the whale." Croft told Caters. Douglas Croft/Caters The photographer also had help from whale watcher Kate Cummings, who watched the whale in the photos breach multiple times before Croft got his shot. Norwegian Fishermen Find Whale Wearing Harness, Prompting Concern It Is a Russian Military Spy "I figured the next breach would be around the fisherman because the whale was heading that way — and sure enough!" she told Caters. No whales, humans or boats were harmed during the humpback's impressive leap.