whale watch

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When Seattle Phones Ping, It's a Sign Whales Are Near

The AP looks at a popular WhatsApp chat group that alerts members to sightings

(Newser) - Peter Bates was dropping his car at the mechanic this month when a notification pinged on his phone: Killer whales were approaching his Seattle neighborhood. He hopped on a bus toward the water, then an electric bike. He was pedaling along a shoreline trail when orcas' black fins and white...

Humpback Whale Seems to Swallow Kayakers
Humpback Whale Seems
to Swallow Kayakers
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Nov 8, 2020 6:51 AM CST

Humpback Whale Seems to Swallow Kayakers

It was 'in my face, literally,' says Liz Cottriel

(Newser) - The kayakers were out on the water to see whales. They did not expect to swim with them. But that's what happened near California's Avila beach on Monday when a humpback whale breached the water's surface—immediately below Liz Cottriel and Julie McSorley. The friends from San...

Alaska Whale-Watchers Save Swimming Deer

'It was the craziest thing I've ever seen on any of my tours,' says naturalist

(Newser) - An Alaska whale-watching cruise turned into a rescue mission for an unusual aquatic species—a distressed, swimming deer. The 18-passenger tour vessel from Gastineau Guiding Co. lassoed the struggling deer on Wednesday, pulled it on board and gave it a ride to an island, Juneau radio station KTOO reported. Naturalist...

Whale-Watching Disaster Blamed on Freak Wave

Weather seemed calm, but rogue wave may have doomed Canada's Leviathan II

(Newser) - Canada's Transportation Safety Board thinks it knows how a whale-watching boat sank on Sunday, leaving five Brits dead and an Australian missing: a surprise wave, the Guardian reports. A survivor told one of the rescuers there was "this real big wave coming—bigger than the rest of the...

5 Dead in Canada Whale-Watching Disaster

Ship with 27 aboard went down off Vancouver Island

(Newser) - At least five people died after a whale-watching boat with 27 people on board sank off Vancouver Island and a rescue mission remained active late Sunday, Canadian authorities say. The vessel made a mayday call late Sunday afternoon on what was a clear and sunny day in the tourist community...

Tourist Killed by Jumping Whale

Canadian woman fatally injured on Mexico tourist boat

(Newser) - A 35-year-old Canadian woman died from injuries suffered when a surfacing gray whale crashed onto a tourist boat, Mexican authorities say. The Baja California Sur state prosecutor's office says the collision with the whale about a mile from the beach resort of Cabo San Lucas tossed the victim into...

How Whale-Watching Might Be Harming Whales

Researchers say the animals get stressed, see boats as predators

(Newser) - Gazing at whales from a boat may seem like an animal-friendly pursuit, but new research is questioning that idea. Why? It's not just about the odd collision; whale-watching seems to stress out the whales, Nature reports following a symposium in Scotland. When they spot a boat—whose operators know...

Watching Whales More Lucrative Than Hunting Them

(Newser) - Whale watching generates about $2.1 billion annually, making it far more profitable than hunting the giant mammals, a new report says. Income from whale watching has doubled over the last decade, according to the report, issued by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "Whale watching is clearly more...

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