Kristina Jennings described her feelings during Saturday’s humpback whale encounter as a mixture of “absolute fear and hilarity,” to go along with her obvious amazement.
The accompanying footage, captured by Jennings off Maui, shows humpback whales smacking the water with their flukes while swimming to within feet of Jennings and her kayaking buddies: Dave Ponce and a Chihuahua mix named Harley.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXF-ftyfOxg]
Drama builds as the whales approach: 38 seconds (“Oh, god!”), 45 seconds (towering fluke), 55 seconds (“Dave… Get me out of here!), and ultimately the steady whining of Harley, who does not appreciate the intrusion.
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Humpback whales are famously curious and sometimes approach vessels. This was different in that the encounter involved males competing for dominance and the role of female escort. They did not seem to pay any attention to the kayakers.
“It was sort of terrifying at the time, but funny and epic now,” Jennings told For The Win Outdoors.
Jennings, Ponce and Harley had separated from their group to have a look at the whales tail-slapping in the distance. They stopped at what seemed a safe distance, but the whales were soon upon them.
“We had just stopped paddling when I started the video,” Jennings said. “The rest is absolute fear and hilarity. In the middle you can hear me grab Harley as he runs for the nose of the kayak. He’s not a big fan of new animals near his Dave.
“After Harley and I stopped shaking, it was totally amazing and worth it. I was glad I didn’t stop my camera or put my finger over the lens.”
Ponce, who works in the whale-watching industry, wanted to clarify that they were not trying to intrude on the whales.
“We stopped 100 yards away from the whales at a safe, legal, and respectful distance,” he wrote in the YouTube description. “After spotting the whales, they began moving, changing their course and heading straight toward us.
“We abided by rules by not ‘engaging engines’ or paddling while the whales were close… They just kept coming closer. We hadn’t paddled for about three minutes before this encounter happened.”
Maui is seasonal home to thousands of humpback whales from about December through April.
–Video and images courtesy of Kristina Jennings