A whale made a surprise guest appearance during the Olympic surfing semi-final competition in Tahiti on Monday.

Brazilian athlete Tatiana Weston-Webb and Costa Rican athlete Brisa Hennessy were competing in the surfing semi-finals on Monday afternoon when the whale surfaced. according to CBS News.

A video shared on Twitter shows two surfers floating in the water as the camera pans to the large mammal, and the whale can also be seen emerging from the water and flopping backwards.

“Unbelievable,” one commentator can be heard saying.

“That's a 10. A perfect 10,” another announcer said. (Related: NBC announcer Lee Diffie makes commentary mistake during live Olympics coverage, later apologizes).

A whale stops by to visit the Olympic surfing semi-finalists. #ParisOlympics 🐋 pic.twitter.com/r14xWnLTm4

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2024

While most of the Olympic events take place in or around Paris, the surfing competition took place about 10,000 miles from the French capital, in the waters off the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, an area chosen for its strong waves, CBS News reported.

“Tahiti is a French territory and Te Aupō has some of the most famous and fiercest waves in the world, so choosing it as a prime venue for the Olympics was a great opportunity,” said marine photographer Ben Twaad. Said CBS News.

Whales are not uncommon in Tahiti, according to CBS, which reports that the animals typically congregate on the islands during migration, mating and calving seasons.

CBS reported that French surfer Johanne Defay won the bronze medal in the women's competition, while French surfer Kauri Vaast won the gold medal in the men's competition.

American surfer Caroline Marks won the gold medal in Monday's competition. according to Tatyana Weston-Webb, who had a front row seat to the jumping whale, won the silver medal, The Associated Press reported.