What started as a mesmerizing sight has quickly earned a spot on the internet’s growing list of nightmare fuel.
A haunting video shared on Reddit—featuring composite footage from the BBC and WWF—captures an otherworldly phenomenon: an eerily perfect circle of bubbles rising from the depths of the sea.
At first, the spectacle is oddly beautiful, almost hypnotic. But then, the calm is shattered.
The bubbles begin to multiply, forming several shifting rings across the ocean’s surface—and what emerges from beneath is enough to send shivers down your spine.
Let’s just say, if you ever spot a bubble circle in the water… you’ll want to head in the opposite direction.
Because once you know what causes them, you’ll never look at the ocean the same way again.
As it turns out, the terrifying truth is this: if you’re caught inside one of those bubble rings, you’re standing right in the middle of a whale’s trap—and you might be the next thing swallowed whole.
The mysterious “circle of bubbles” is no random ocean quirk. It’s actually part of a sophisticated and deadly hunting technique used by humpback whales, known as bubble net feeding.
One Reddit user explained it best:
“This is called Bubble Net Feeding. Whales blow bubbles while spiraling around schools of fish, trapping them in a shrinking circle. Then they charge up from the deep to devour them in one massive gulp.”
Another chimed in, “Those are humpback whales, I think – they’re lunge feeders.” And they’re right.
According to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, this technique requires incredible intelligence, coordination, and teamwork. A pod of humpbacks dives beneath their prey—usually schools of small fish like herring or krill—then begins the trap. Using bursts of air from their blowholes, they form a rising wall of bubbles. The fish, confused and corralled, are herded into a tight ball near the surface.
Then comes the climax: the surge.
With mouths wide open, the whales rocket upward in perfect synchrony, scooping up thousands of fish in one mighty lunge. These “gulpers,” as they’re known, use massive mouths and baleen plates to filter out the seawater, leaving only a giant, wriggling feast behind.
Now imagine being in the middle of that circle.
By the time you realize what’s happening, you could be swept up and swallowed—though thankfully, not digested.
“If I’m in that water and see bubbles around me,” one person joked, “I’m praying it’s a humpback whale. I’d much rather end up in its giant, toothless gullet than be shredded by a great white’s 87,000 teeth.”
Another viewer admitted the video gave them instant nightmares. “This has permanently changed how I feel about swimming in open water.”
Because as beautiful as nature can be… sometimes, it’s absolutely terrifying.
Reactions to the video poured in—most of them laced with equal parts fear and fascination.
One viewer summed it up bluntly:
“Nightmare fuel. Wow. Good for them, but eeeeeeeeeeek.”
Another added,
“Imagine seeing that at night. Yeah… that’s nightmare fuel.”
Some tried to be reassuring—kind of.
“I mean, it’s not that big a deal. They’ll spit you out. Eventually.”
But someone else quickly crushed that comfort with a chilling reminder:
“That’s always my biggest fear. Sure, they’ll spit you out—100 meters underwater, where you’ll be crushed like an aluminum can in total darkness.”
And then there’s the voice of reason we can all relate to:
“In any case… I’m leaving if I see bubbles.”
Hard to argue with that.