See ‘rare’ sea creature — measuring 42 feet long — dive in Caribbean. ‘Lucky to spot’

A rarely-seen Bryde’s whale was recently spotted in the Caribbean Sea, providing onlookers with an “amazing” experience.

The massive creature was seen swimming off the coast of Bonaire on May 21, according to a news release from STINAPA, a local conservation group. Bonaire, an island municipality of the Netherlands, is off the coast of Venezuela.

A video posted by the group shows the whale — measuring about 42 feet in length — diving just below the surface.

Staff and volunteers “were lucky to spot” the animal, the group said, noting that it was a “rare sighting.”

Bryde’s whales — pronounced “broodus” — are a type of baleen whale found throughout warm and temperate oceans, according to the National Oceanic Administration (NOAA).

Distinguished by their long and slender bodies, they can weigh up to 90,000 pounds and grow up to 55 feet long. They mainly live alone or in pairs, surviving off krill, crab, shrimp, and schooling fish.

While some of their populations are migratory, those found in the Caribbean remain in the area year-round.

However, given a lack of information surrounding the species, it’s not clear how many of them remain in the world, according to NOAA.

Like other whale species, they are “vulnerable to many stressors and threats, including vessel strikes, ocean noise, and whaling outside the United States.”