Breaching Humpbacks

[gfisher4792]

Hi all,

I was just doing some reading on humpback whales, and a question popped into my head: has anyone had a too-close-for-comfort encounter with a breaching humpback whale? I've done some whale watch cruises, and saw some breaching about a half mile away, and of course I've seen the photos of divers swimming next to them, but has there ever been an incident where divers (or boats, for that matter) been swamped by one? I can't imagine 40 tons of leaping whale on top of you can be too good for your health!

 

[MB]

Long ago, in another life, I had a very small boat and a very small outboard in Samoa. We took that boat way too far offshore, and caught more fish than I can remember. On one trip we were following a tuna school when a whale breached, probably 20-25 yards away. We didn't feel the splash, but we did get the wake. We stopped fishing, breathed a bit, then turned and headed slowly back to shore. The day was over, we were awed, and we thanked the powers for the experience. I still remember the feeling.

 

[adshepard]

I've been a volunteer on a number of whale research projects and have had two incidents where I had to say whoa.

In the Canary Islands we were aboard a zodiac tracking pilot whales when a pod of them decided to surf a large swell. The pod of ten or more pilot whales were headed right for the zodiac but scooted underneath us a good 20 yards from the boat. A very exhilirating experience.

While in Western Australia we were some 10 miles out to sea on a zodiac when a very energetic group of humpbacks headed our way. The younger one was leaping all about us but no where close enough to be of a concern. However a larger adult decided to buzz by us and swam right underneath the zodiac no more than 15 feet below us. That was a definite whoa moment especially as the weather was turning bad and the light was fading. As an aside as we made our way back to base camp the main engine cracked it's block and nearly fell in the ocean. We were very lucky to have a spare smaller engine on board that we hooked up in the dark and allowed us to make it back to camp.

DSDO

Alan

 

[JustAddWater]

I haven't been close to breaching humpbacks, but have been very close to gray whales in Baja and off the California coast. Impressive sight. About a year ago, a man was killed on a charter fishing boat off of Morro Bay (I think), Cal. when a gray whale breached and landed on the boat.