kayakers – Syndication Server

Breaching whale’s ‘shock wave’ generates chaos for kayakers

On Sunday, KINY shared an image showing kayakers in Hoonah experiencing a “close encounter of the whale kind!”

Last week we shared footage showing five humpback whales breaching almost simultaneously near Hoonah, Alaska. It was a surreal and unexpected scene enjoyed by a family during a picnic.

On Sunday, KINY shared the accompanying image showing kayakers in Hoonah experiencing an extremely “close encounter of the whale kind!”

The Facebook description reads, in part: “According to Hoonah Fire Chief Paul Comolli, the shock wave from the whale’s breach rocked three kayaks and flipped one completely over!”

Comolli captured the image at Point Frederick.

The KINY post was widely shared and some were critical of the kayakers for approaching too closely and placing themselves and the whale in danger.

Humpback whales are known for their spectacular breaches and should always be given a wide berth.

Harrowing moments for father and son as shark attacks kayak

A Maui father-and-son survived a harrowing encounter with a large shark Tuesday as they kayaked together off the island’s west side.

Daniel and Tristan Sullivan were searching for whales when the shark – possibly a great white shark – bit and thrashed their kayak, spilling them into the water.

“When its mouth rose up and bit into the kayak, it was like a scene out of a movie,” Daniel Sullivan, the father, told Hawaii News Now. “The water streaming off of it, these giant teeth coming right at us, and then the way it just pushed the entire boat up halfway and pulled us back down into the water.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CK0pdPJD3f3/

Both kayakers swam toward shore for about 35 minutes as the shark continued to bite their kayak. The paddlers were not injured.

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Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources issued a statement regarding the incident:

“Just before 2 p.m., a father and son reported to the Maui Dispatch Center that they were kayaking in the 1000 Peaks area (Ukumehame), when a shark attacked their boat. They fell overboard when the kayak sank, and they were able to safely swim to shore.

“They reported the shark as a ten-foot tiger shark. Personnel from DAR and DOCARE officers are now attempting to get more information from the pair.”

Tiger sharks are most often implicated in attacks on humans and/or their kayaks and surfboards in Hawaiian waters. However, the Sullivans said this shark’s snout was pointier than the more rounded snouts of tiger sharks.

Great white sharks are rare in Hawaii, but adult white sharks from the U.S. and Mexico migrate as far west as Hawaii during the fall and winter. Bite marks visible on the bottom of the kayak appear to be from a large shark.

Tristan Sullivan, 15, described the encounter via Instagram:

“Today my dad and I were out kayaking when a massive shark bit our kayak and flipped us into the water we tried to get back into it but it was taking on water fast and we kept falling back into the water. At the time we were about a mile out and eventually we had to leave our kayak and start swimming in knowing the whole time the shark could be right behind us thankfully we made it back safe.”

The DNLR closed beaches in the area and they were set to reopen Wednesday at noon.

–Image showing bite marks on the kayak is courtesy of Tristan Sullivan

Drama builds during ‘terrifying but epic’ whale encounter

Kristina Jennings described her feelings during Saturday’s humpback whale encounter off Maui as a mixture of “absolute fear and hilarity.”

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