Contrary to popular belief, blowholes don't actually blow water. [VID: Why do whales have blowholes? A whale's blowhole functions like a human nostril, used for breathing air. It is located on the top of their head so they don't need to lift their entire head out of the water to get a breath. A whale comes to the ocean surface to take a breath and then holds it to dive. After holding their breath, the whale resurfaces to exhale. This is where we see the water spout or “blow.” When a whale lets o