Two tandem ocean kayakers are lucky to be alive after a huge humpback whale breached in front of them and appears to come crashing down right beside them, clipping and capsizing their kayak.
The pair had little time to react when a whale unexpectedly surfaced from under the water with such force that it capsized their kayak and launched them into the water.
The incident took place while the kayakers were on a whale tour just outside the harbor in Moss Landing, California.
“We stopped to see a large aggregation of humpbacks feeding and carrying on with random acts of hijinks. There were also a lot of kayakers right in the middle of it all,” said a Sanctuary Cruises spokesperson.
“Humpbacks were coming up next to and in the middle of many kayakers. It was amusing. It’s all fun and games until someone gets jumped on.”
Luckily, the kayakers came away from the incident unharmed. Whale watching regulations require boaters/kayakers to keep minimum 200 meters away from killer whales and 100 meters away from all other whales at all times. Responsible paddlers endeavor to follow these rules, and rare exceptional encounters do not represent a typical paddling experience.
A disgrace the kayakers were so close to these animals. I am more concerned about whether the whale was injured than whether the kayakers were.
Shame on the kayakers and shame on the rental company.
Give these creatures their space.
Idiots, what responsible tour guide led them so close to the whales
What’s with the cheering crowd? Maybe some lions and the Colosseum should have been involved. Idiots all around.
And, is it clear that the paddlers encroached on the whale or did it come to them?
In any case, more space.