Here is a wonderful video shot on Halloween a quarter-mile offshore from Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz, CA. A bikini clad surfer paddles over to a group of kayakers who are out watching the large number of humpbacks who are feeding close to shore. The photographer, Barb Roettger, is in another kayak with a friend, shooting the video. The surfer mentions, off camera, that she’s never been out this far and suggests to the kayakers that there is strength in numbers. On the video you can hear Roettger murmur, “Not necessarily.” Seconds later two humpback whales leap skyward, lunge feeding on krill, exactly between the two sets of kayakers.

Surfer Almost Swallowed by Whale

Apparently the man on the yellow kayak, was so preoccupied with the woman in the bikini that he missed seeing the whales.

The footage has gone viral on the internet. It is so dramatic that some have suggested that is was faked, calling attention to the fact that the surfer was not wearing a wet suit and that the water was relatively cold. Roettger has tracked down the surfer, who says that she is allergic to neoprene, which is why she was not wearing a wet suit.

The Marine Mammal Safety Act provides for a buffer zone limiting how close a whale watcher in a boat can approach a whale. In this case, the whales approached the boats. Reportedly, the number of whales and whale watchers offshore on Halloween day lead to several encounters which were far too close for comfort and safety. Thanks to Irwin Bryan for pointing out the video.