If you don’t want to get crushed by a breaching whale, it’s wise to keep your distance, as evidenced by a sequence of dramatic photos from Hawaii.
Don McLeish was motoring along on his Zodiac off Kaanapali Beach, Hawaii, when he spotted three humpback whales, including a calf. When he saw a catamaran sailing towards the whales, he raised his camera and captured one of the whales breaching within a whale’s length of the sailboat.
McLeish believes the breaching whale was trying to tell the boaters to stay away from the mother and calf. No whales or humans were hurt, but the photos show it was a very close call.
To protect humpback whales, federal law states that vessels need to maintain a minimum of 100 yards distance. Clearly, that law also protects humans and their boats.
You can see the whole sequence of photos at the Daily Mail website.
