Nature & Environment
Massive Humpback Whale Crashes Kayakers Boat (VIDEO)
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Sep 16, 2015 12:38 PM EDT
No. This isn't some Herman Melville novel.
But two kayakers were almost crushed by a giant humpback whale. The rorqual species burst out of the water and belly-flopped onto their kayak. And best of all, there's a semi-terrifying video going viral online where you can see the entire incident. (Fortunately, the kayakers where not hurt.)
Larry Plants, a passenger nearby on an early-morning whale watching tour led by Sanctuary Cruises was right there to pick up the whole thing in action, right off the Moss Landing harbor in Monterey Bay, Calif.
"Kayaking with whales can be extremely dangerous. It can turn into a life or death situation real quick-like. Within seconds. It was very scary to watch," Capt. Michael Sack of Sanctuary Cruises wrote on his website. "They came very close to getting crushed to death by the mighty humpback whale. A full-size humpback can weigh in at 40-tons. That's a lot of heavy blubber that would surely flatten a kayaker if the whale had a direct hit."
Onlookers were also quite surprised as they witnessed the entire thing, just a few mere yards away from them. They probably weren't expecting for such a fantastic display, though humpback whales in the area typically come to the California coast for feedings, according to Business Insider Science. And like Sack said, you have to watch out. These animals can be pretty enormous, in case you haven't seen one for yourself, coming in at about 40 to 50 feet long and weighing in at a massive 80,000 pounds.
But, all's well that ends well. According to a blog entry from Sack, the two kayakers are just happy that they weren't "crushed to death" by the whale's body during the incident.
Don't believe us for yourself about the incident? Check out this video of it all, courtesy of YouTube.
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First Posted: Sep 16, 2015 12:38 PM EDT
No. This isn't some Herman Melville novel.
But two kayakers were almost crushed by a giant humpback whale. The rorqual species burst out of the water and belly-flopped onto their kayak. And best of all, there's a semi-terrifying video going viral online where you can see the entire incident. (Fortunately, the kayakers where not hurt.)
Larry Plants, a passenger nearby on an early-morning whale watching tour led by Sanctuary Cruises was right there to pick up the whole thing in action, right off the Moss Landing harbor in Monterey Bay, Calif.
"Kayaking with whales can be extremely dangerous. It can turn into a life or death situation real quick-like. Within seconds. It was very scary to watch," Capt. Michael Sack of Sanctuary Cruises wrote on his website. "They came very close to getting crushed to death by the mighty humpback whale. A full-size humpback can weigh in at 40-tons. That's a lot of heavy blubber that would surely flatten a kayaker if the whale had a direct hit."
Onlookers were also quite surprised as they witnessed the entire thing, just a few mere yards away from them. They probably weren't expecting for such a fantastic display, though humpback whales in the area typically come to the California coast for feedings, according to Business Insider Science. And like Sack said, you have to watch out. These animals can be pretty enormous, in case you haven't seen one for yourself, coming in at about 40 to 50 feet long and weighing in at a massive 80,000 pounds.
But, all's well that ends well. According to a blog entry from Sack, the two kayakers are just happy that they weren't "crushed to death" by the whale's body during the incident.
Don't believe us for yourself about the incident? Check out this video of it all, courtesy of YouTube.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone