VIA – KION RIGHT NOW
Whale Swims Close Enough to Touch Santa Cruz Kayaker
SANTA CRUZ, Calif- A picture speaks a thousand words. With this picture, you can only imagine what the kayaker was thinking when a humpback whale swam under his kayak.
“This was truly awesome…there’s nothing like it,” said avid kayaker David Swanger.
A humpback whale swam toward him just a half mile from the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, and he didn’t even see it coming.
“I was facing one direction and suddenly I realize there’s this hulk, there’s this mountain moving toward me. And I couldn’t believe what was happening because it was actually heading straight at me!” said Swanger.
The scary situation didn’t stop kayaking partner Stephen Lawson from taking a picture.
“Did it make your heart beat faster?” I asked.
“It probably beat faster and I’m sure David’s was beating a whole lot faster,” said Lawson.
“The whale is coming toward me and I thought, ‘What’s going to happen? Is it going to stop? Is it going to swerve?’ And it did neither of those things. It dove underneath so I could see the shape of the whale swimming underneath my boat,” said Swanger.
Swanger said the moment was “peaceful” and he would do the whole thing over again if he could.
Some would argue this situation could have turned dangerous in a matter of seconds. But the danger from a Humpback whale does not come from its teeth, it come from its size.
An adult humpback whale weighs 40 tons and measures 48 to 60 feet long. If you are having a hard time comprehending just how big that is, an empty Boeing 737 weighs approximately 42 tons.
For the full story go here:
http://www.kionrightnow.com/story/15298650/injury-forces-gilroy-man-to-withdrawl-from-title-fight
Become A Sponsor!If you have a product or service that is a good fit for our surf community, we have opportunities for you to sponsor this blog! Download our media kit now!