Behaviours of the humpback whale are fascinating to observe and photograph. However, not many are as explosive as the Peduncle Throw. While swimming with a humpback whale in Tonga, a young female did exactly that, 5 meters away from my camera. This powerful manoeuvre is executed when the humpback pivots its head downwards and throws the lower portion of its body, including its flukes and peduncle sideways across the surface of the water in a quick and powerful thrust, resulting in a huge splash of water. This behaviour has been described to be an expression of defence, aggression or play. After the breath-taking moment, the humpback took a dive into the shallows leaving the boom of the peduncle throw still echoing inside me.