By Mike Madsen
Yet more evidence of the foolhardiness of whale watching from boats has emerged in a dramatic way. A video of a massive blue whale capsizing a whale watching boat off the California coast is making its way around the web at this time. The video shows the 23-foot inflatable boat as the whale comes under it and throws the two people inside overboard.
The incident in question took place Wednesday, July 2nd 2014 about 12 miles off the shores of San Diego California. The amazing video shows the surface feeding giant launching up out of the water with its mouth open. A few moments later it capsized the boat.
A fellow whale watching boater assisted the two people who were thrown out of the boat, according to reports from the U.S. Coast Guard. The boat itself was later collected by a commercial salvage vessel before it could become yet more floating litter in the sea, endangering marine life.The southern California whale-watching season has just begun for 2014.
Evidence has been mounting lately that whale watching from boats is not a good idea, and this incident reinforces that view. A sincere whale watcher can always choose to go to SeaWorld or other AZA accredited marine mammal institutions where whales and watchers are kept a safe distance apart.