wiltonh - 2-2-2007 at 10:43 PM
Originally posted January 1 2007 in another group from La Ventana Baja.
Today was an interesting day for me. It was blowing about 20mph and I was several miles off shore playing in the big rollerson a windsurfer. I was
sailing in the trough between two big waves when something came up in front of me about 25 feet from my board. It stretched from the top of one wave
to the top of the other. It was a gray whale.
I sheeted out and dropped off a plane. As I came close, the whale went down, but a baby was swimming along side and its tail came within 4 inches of
the tip of my board.
This is the largest animal that I have ever need close to. It was
probably 40 feet long and it filled up the trough of the wave about 9 feet.
I have seen whales before but never this close and going fast.
If it had come up any closer to me, I would have run into it on a full plane. I am sure I would have sustained more damage than it would have.
Wilton
Von - 2-2-2007 at 10:54 PM
Exactly, where were you windsurfing? cool story...
wiltonh - 2-5-2007 at 08:13 PM
La Ventana is about 30 miles South of Lapaz. I was sailing at the North end of town about 3 miles off shore in the bay.
Wilton
capt. mike - 2-6-2007 at 06:10 AM
"I sheeted out and dropped off a plane"
- man!! if that were me i'd a sheeted out and dropped off a frickin
brick!!.............
wiltonh - 2-7-2007 at 09:48 PM
Here is the rest of the story. After I went over the whale's tail I did a jibe and headed back to the beach. It scared me bad enough that I did not
go back out on the water for qite a while.
Words do not explain this situation very well.
Wilton