A migrating gray whale paused to visit whale-watching boats Monday off Southern California, and for one operator this rare behavior represented a unique opportunity.
Ryan Lawler, owner of Newport Coastal Adventure in Newport Beach, donned a wetsuit and slipped into the water just feet from the enormous leviathan, and captured a series of stunning images.
“The whale stared right at me!” Lawler told For The Win Outdoors. “But I don’t know how much it recognized or cared about me. It was instead very focused on the boat itself.”
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Gray whales, which can measure 50 feet and weigh 40 tons, famously swim close to boats in lagoons along Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, where the mammals nurse and breed. But they rarely exhibit this “friendly” behavior during their annual migration from Alaska to Mexico and back.
Lawler and Capt. Alex Shaw went back out after a morning charter and were about one mile off Laguna Beach when the whale appeared and nudged the vessel with its snout. Lawler slipped into the water and captured footage while making sure to keep a constant hold onto the boat.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me6h-gXdqzI&w=560&h=315]
When he was finished, Shaw dropped in and enjoyed up-close views of the whale, which moved slowly and gracefully, like a gentle giant.
“We were very cautious to just assume a position of being one with the boat,” Lawler said. “Since the whale was interested in the boat, we didn’t want to freely swim around the whale and potentially alarm it.”
Asked if he was tempted to swim freely with the whale, Lawler responded: “Yes. But … it was scary, too, since it was doing tight maneuvering around the boat, and to make those tight turns it was slashing its tail. That made me think twice.”
Lawler recalled Shaw saying “in particular how amazing it was to stare down this whale. Total eye contact, it was beautiful!”
The same whale also visited boats from Dana Wharf Whale Watching (see video) and Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari. Capt. Dave’s video features a passenger gently touching the whale.
It’s not advisable to swim with or touch marine mammals off California, and it could be considered a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act if such actions alter the behavior of the mammals.
But in this case the whale initiated the contact, seemingly out of curiosity, and eventually continued its slow northbound journey.
–Images and video are courtesy of Ryan Lawler/Newport Coastal Adventure