A question asked by someone just like you.

Do whales really spit water?

Most kinds of whales have their nostrils (like your nose) on top of their heads. When they come to the surface after a dive they want to get some fresh air. (As you probably know, they are air breathers like you and me and not gill breathers like fishes.)

Before whales can take in a breath of fresh air, they need to breathe out the old air from their lungs. They do this in a big whoosh. All that warm air has lots of water vapor that condenses out as water droplets and may also carry a little seawater along. That makes a water “spout” that may be seen for miles so that whale watchers can say, “Thar she blows.”