Teahupo'o (Tahiti), Aug 6 (AP) With all eyes on the ocean during the final day of the Paris Olympics surfing competition in Tahiti on Monday afternoon, a surprise guest made an appearance: a whale.

A safe distance from athletes Tatiana Weston-Webb from Brazil and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica— who were competing in a semifinal match— the whale breached and gave spectators and photographers the Olympic moment of a lifetime.

Also Read | Sweden's Armand Duplantis Reacts After Winning Pole Vault Gold Medal in Paris Olympics 2024, Says 'Such an Out of Body Experience'.

It's not uncommon for wild animals such as birds, seals and even sharks to appear while surfing around the world.

In Tahiti, where the 2024 Olympics surfing competition was held almost 10,000 miles way from the host city of Paris, whales gather around the islands during mating, birthing and migration season.

Also Read | Armand Duplantis Sets New World Record To Win Men's Pole Vault Gold Medal in Paris Olympics 2024.

Tahiti also has several maritime protected zones. In April, Pacific Indigenous leaders— including some from Tahiti— signed a treaty recognizing whales as “legal persons,” although such a declaration is not reflected in the laws of participating nations. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)