Check out this close call where humpback whale nearly lands on top of some kayakers and a woman on a longboard. No it’s not Moby Dick lunging up from the watery abyss, it’s just one of many humpback whales that congregated off the Santa Cruz coastline this past Wednesday. The whales gathered just off the pier at Cowell’s to feed on the closer than average bait balls.
Instead of letting these beautiful behemoths feed in peace, hoards of novice sea enthusiast paddled out for a closer look. Whether it was out of ignorance or sheer stupidity these folks didn’t care to think about the consequences of sitting right in the middle of a feeding frenzy. Besides whales, large schools of anchovies often attract other predatory animals and, in the frosty waters of SC county, who knows what else could be lurking beneath. Then again these are probably the same geniuses that’d like to swim with the seals.
Particularly infuriating is when an man says, “never paddled out this far before” at 9 seconds into the clip. It’s obvious these people are not “surfers” (as Yahoo deems them) and furthermore these folks lack an understanding and respect of the ocean. Hopefully everyone can learn something from this incident and avoid another close call with marine wildlife.
The SC harbor patrol and Dept of Fish and Game began issuing warnings to keep people away from the feeding whales.
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