Humpback whales can grow up to 50 feet (15 meters) long and weigh about 36 tons. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the number of humpback whales around the world is about sixty thousand.
Packard, 56, told the Cape Cod Times that he and a colleague boarded their boat Friday morning in excellent weather and sea conditions, with visibility up to 20 feet.
After he jumped out of the ship in scuba gear, he said, “I felt a huge crash and then everything got dark.”
Packard thought he had been attacked by a great white shark swimming in the area, “and then I felt around and realized there were no teeth.”
