Paddler ‘humbled’ while cruising alongside 80-foot blue whale
Blue whales have been passing through Southern California waters, some stopping for extended periods to feed, affording up-close views of the largest mammals ever to have roamed the planet.
Most of the gawking has been from these safety of large boats, but recently an intrepid paddler aboard a 14-foot standup-paddle board was caught on video cruising so closely alongside an 80-foot blue whale that it appeared the two were traveling together.
The paddler is Rich German, an Orange County marine mamma enthusiast who is sometimes criticized for approaching too closely to whales. His minute-long encounter occurred April 24 off Laguna Beach, but wildlife photographer Mark Girardeau waited until last Friday to post his drone footage.
NOAA guidelines suggest that pilots of any vessel “attempt to stay at least 100 yards from a whale.” Because that’s not always possible, as whales sometimes surface very close to boats. When this occurs, it’s best to remain still and avoid erratic movements.
Rich German veers from blue whale. Photo: ©Mark Girardeau/Newport Coastal Adventure
Any actions that cause a whale to alter its behavior can be considered harassment and a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
There appears to have been no harassment of the 80-foot blue whale in the footage captured by Girardeau, founder of Orange County Outdoors, who was aboard a Newport Coastal Adventure whale-watching boat at the time.
German is quoted by the Orange County Register as saying was was not afraid because he considers blue whales to be “gentle and totally harmless.”
German added: “It’s just totally awe-inspiring. Blissful and humbling are the words that come to me. I like to be out there — and to have that experience on the ocean with the largest animal to live on the planet is amazing. For me to share it is even more amazing because they are endangered.”
(German’s footage also accompanies this post.)
Blue whale also dwarfs whale-watching boat. Photo: ©Mark Girardeau/Newport Coastal Adventure
Blue whales, much larger than any dinosaur species, feed almost exclusively on tiny shrimp-like krill. A single blue whale can devour nearly 8,000 pounds of krill per day. Blue whales can measure 100 feet and weigh more than 150 tons.
Because they often dive repeatedly to find krill blooms, it becomes nearly impossible to know exactly where they’ll surface, making it hard for captains to follow NOAA guidelines.
SUP paddlers do not often encounter blue whales because they’re typically too far offshore. German’s encounter, however, occurred less than a mile from the beach.
–Images courtesy of ©Mark Girardeau/Newport Coastal Adventure