you try to look at conditions before you go out. so many factors need to come together when you re on your kayak because the whale needs to be approaching you. it seemed like a long shot. it was like a million to one shot and you make your own luck. i had my snorkel around my neck and camera running. rick gets the shot he wants, but according to the national marine fishery service, vessels should not get closer more than 100 yards of the whales nor should they interrupt swim behaviors. patterns. it is not like we are alt altering their behavior. the whale is the most important thing. after celebrating with exuberance, rick posts his video online, but immediately afterward he s informed by someone at the national oceanic and administration that his once in a lifetime experience will remain exactly that. a one-time deal.
and he asked for safety reasons to refrain from swimming with the whales, again and request that i post a disclaimer on my website, which i did. i put on there that i don t recommend doing this and i posted a link to the noaa guidelines. my one concern is i wouldn t encourage anyone to cross the line into anything that would be considered harassment. their kayaking experience receives more than a million hits and in some ways rick and susie feels they fulfill ad life-long dream. not many people get to see the world s largest mammal on the planet. to have that moment with them, you know, just up want to, get emotional, you want to connect with them. it was really exciting. a few minutes later it set in. wow, did that really just happen? unbelievably it happens again. another rare encounter with not one whale but two. this time up north along the california coast in santa cruz. in 20, 30 years, they ve never seen anything like it.
rick and susie spend the morning paddling out six miles into the pacific when rick gets an unexpected greeting. all of a sudden i hear wait, was that me or did i just hear a whale? i turned around and, sure enough, a whale surfaced not too far behind me. came in at lunge speed right next to the kayak. that was the most exciting because the closest, most exciting moment hi with a whale. when i was on top of the water and you had the whale surfacing near, that was exciting. rick did what few would dare to do. he attempts to get even closer by climbing out of his kayak into the ocean with a mini cam strapped to his forehead, all to get an underwater shot of this mammal that is roughly as long as three school buses. really peaceful, it was a peaceful, magical moment. rick finds himself face-to-face with old big blue, a rare occurrence for even the most faithful whale watchers.
let s do what s best for our students-by investing in our teachers. let s solve this. what would you do if you suddenly found yourself just feet away from the largest living creature on earth? captain ahab, watch out. rick and suzy of garden grove, california, have been together for more than a decade and share a mutual passion for kayaking through the southern california bike of the pacific ocean. i used to row for a year at long beach state. over the past few years, they have gone on countless trips.
i always say a pray, god watch over us. we have been to the channels islands. it is beautiful being on the water. the thing i like the most about kayaking is being out in nature and seeing all the wildlife. one day we were surrounded by thousands of dolphins and the other day sea lions. they i dove in and played with them. real playful. every time you are in the water, something unusual and remarkable. but whenever rick and susie are out in deep waters, several miles from shore, they can t help but to one day get lucky and get an up-close view of the giant blue whale. some weekends were hit or miss. have you to be incredibly lucky to have one come near you. they are kind of off in the distance and you yearn to be closer to them because it s just an amazing encounter. it s early october, 2011.