Swimmer tossed by humpback whale in Australia
Posted by ScubaStef@reddit | whales | View on Reddit | 5 comments
A couple of YouTubers posted footage of their tour guide being tossed into the air by a whale during a swimming with whales tour. You can read about it in this Yahoo News article.
To me, it is disappointing to see that the individuals involved in this incident are celebrating what should be a cautionary moment. We should be advocating for responsible and respectful wildlife interactions, particularly when it comes to large, wild animals like humpback whales.
tigerlily_orca@reddit
How is it even legal to do this kind of eco-tourism? Their proximity to the whale seems like borderline harassment.
Freediverjack@reddit
There's a stack of rules in Australia about how they should approach and when they can swim (distance, no go if presence of a calf, caps on time allowed)
It's some of the strictest regulations for humpback swimming, unlike other places that allow free swimming this is a tethered operation where everyone hangs from a line off the back of the vessel.
From the looks of it the whale has approached them and no one thought about moving until it was too late.
ScubaStef@reddit (OP)
It is legal to swim with whales in Australia but not in many other countries. I agree that it is harassment.
PersonalityTough9349@reddit
I have accidentally swam with humpbacks in NJ this past Spring.
All the dredging they have done to rebuild the beaches, plus their water ways being over run with fishing boats.
It has made them extremely close to the shore.
Now it’s time for them to travel south, so I’m keeping an eye out.
KillionMatriarch@reddit
The grace whales grant us is totally undeserved.