Life
Kayakers floating above school of fish get more than bargained for when whale comes to feed
I've heard that this was possible before but seeing it in action is something else. ๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ˜ณ
Jaclyn Abergas
08.01.22

Humpback whales are magnificent creatures.

Thatโ€™s why a lot of people come to the coast to watch and witness this magnificence.

A pair of whale watchers got more than they bargained for when they signed up for a whale watching afternoon at Avila Beach, California.

Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel were on a yellow kayak off the coast of Avila Beach when a humpback whale came out of the water right below them.

Advertisement

The whale had its mouth open and swallowed the kayak and two whale watchers before it went back into the water.

Pexels - Adam Ernster
Source:
Pexels - Adam Ernster

A state of disbelief

Everyone around them were so shocked they couldnโ€™t move.

Advertisement

Avila Beach is one of the best places to see the whales up close and personal, so itโ€™s not a surprise there were many other peoples out in the water with them.

YouTube - Globe Lite
Source:
YouTube - Globe Lite

But Julie and Liz did not expect to be this up close and personal with the whale. They were watching the whales about 30 feet away.

Then suddenly, it was below them.

Advertisement

โ€œI saw the big pool of fish, the big bait ball come up out of the water,โ€ Julied McSorley recalled. โ€œI saw the whale come up. I thought, โ€˜Oh, no! Itโ€™s too close.'โ€

YouTube - Globe Lite
Source:
YouTube - Globe Lite

Thatโ€™s whatโ€™s called โ€˜bubble netting.โ€™

The whale will swim up towards a school of fish, blowing bubbles upwards. The bubbles disorient the fishes and they stick closer together.

Advertisement

The whale swims up towards them and swallows the school of fish. And, in this case, Julie and Liz happened to be on top of the fish and got in the way of the whaleโ€™s feeding.

YouTube - Globe Lite
Source:
YouTube - Globe Lite

Things arenโ€™t always what they seem.

In the video, it looked like the humpback whale swallowed the two whale watchers. In reality, they, along with their boat, were knocked over and they both fell into the water.

Advertisement
YouTube - Globe Lite
Source:
YouTube - Globe Lite

โ€œIโ€™m thinking to myself, โ€˜Iโ€™m gonna push.โ€™ Like, Iโ€™m gonna push a whale out of the way!โ€ Liz said. โ€œIt was the weirdest thought. Iโ€™m thinking, โ€˜Iโ€™m dead. Iโ€™m dead.โ€™ I thought it was gonna land on me. Next thing I know, Iโ€™m underwater.โ€

They swam back up to the surface where they were rescued by onlookers nearby.

YouTube - Globe Lite
Source:
YouTube - Globe Lite
Advertisement

Even viewers couldnโ€™t believe this happened.

โ€œWoW! I donโ€™t think Iโ€™d ever be the same after that! Glad everyone that was involved is okay. So scary!โ€ Diana Holderness said.

Some others said it was a memory theyโ€™ll never forget and a story theyโ€™ll always tell. Good thing it was captured on video so they can show it really happened.

Julie and Liz are doing good.

They werenโ€™t seriously injured although they probably wonโ€™t be going back on a kayak to watch whales for some time.

YouTube - Globe Lite
Source:
YouTube - Globe Lite
Advertisement

โ€œWe got back to the car, I was shaking my shirt and a bunch of fish came out of my shirt,โ€ Liz said.

What would you do?

YouTube - Globe Lite
Source:
YouTube - Globe Lite

See the one-in-a-million experience Liz and Julie had in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement