Free diver encounters Bryde's whale while diving among sardines in Mexico

People reports that free-diving instructor Emily Marzilli and her friends had a close encounter with a Bryde's whale while diving in Magdalena Bay off Baja California Sur; the moment occurred in Nov. 2025 and footage was obtained by SWNS.

The clip, first posted to Marzilli's Instagram account @emgonewild, opens with the divers on the surface screaming and gesturing; text on the video reads, "nothing in my life could've ever prepared me for this moment." Underwater footage then shows a large school of sardines and, according to the clip, part of the school "started going crazy" before a whale suddenly broke through the fish with its gaping maw and passed a few dozen feet from the divers.

Marzilli told SWNS that she and her friends went diving during sardine season expecting "National Geographic level action," but were not seeking whales and made sure to give the animal space. She said, "[I] was honestly in shock" and the whale soon swam off into the open ocean. According to NOAA, Bryde's whales grow to be 40 to 55 feet long and weigh up to 90,000 pounds.

Key Topics

World, Emily Marzilli, Bryde's Whale, Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Sardines