It’s been another happening year for whale sightings, bringing great delight to both tourists and locals who whale watch. But it hasn’t all been great for the whales, as the Chronicle reports on a Wednesday incident wherein a photographer captured a snapshot of a powerboat colliding with a humpback whale near the Golden Gate Bridge.
“My wife and I were just hiking on the Golden Gate and we were halfway there and we noticed there were several whales in the water," the photographer Ryan Clapper told the Chronicle. "There was at least three or four, so I pulled out the camera and shot what I could.”
“Shortly after, a boater was cruising by and noticed the breath of the whales, you know how it shoots up real high,” he continued. “And I imagine he only saw one of the whales, but there were several. He was just trying to get closer to get a picture with his iPhone or camera. And he hit a whale in the process... then he went right over that whale.”
According to the Chronicle report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is not planning on going after the boater. But they do warn boaters should give whales a hundred yards of space. "We feel that these are a result of carelessness and lack of self control,” spokesperson Mary Jane Schramm told ABC 7.
Related: Massive Blue Whale, Killed By Boat Strike, Washes Up In Bolinas
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