Featured Image Credit: Kaeo Landon-Lane/Storyful
By Sarah Sharkey
Kaeo Landon-Lane and his dad were out on their small motorboat off the east coast of Tasmania when they happened to see two right whales.
They stopped the boat and Kaeo, 19, hopped in the water. He says that he swam away from the boat into the clear water where the visibility was about 20 meters (about 60 feet.) The third time he saw them they were heading straight for him.
He stated that he was feeling a lot of emotions, but fear was not one of them. The whales did not feel threatening to Kaeo. But as they starting swimming towards him, aimed directly at the center of his chest he decided that a chest bump was not something he was comfortable with. So he put his hand out in front of him and gave the whale a nose boop to keep a small distance between them.
Landon-Lane shared that, “I felt its enormity, being that close to it and feeling so small.”
He described the whales as gentle giants, but warned others about getting too close. He said “I want to make it clear that humans touching whales is not OK, and that this whale initiated this contact. Harassing a whale could be the last thing you do. Whales are curious and intelligent creatures, if you’re interesting then they’ll hang around.”
It is important to not disturb whales, especially endangered whales, in their natural habitat. Give them space and respect. If they come up to you make sure to maintain respect for these amazing creatures.