Yesterday, we posted about the tragic stranding on a beach in the Orkneys that resulted in the deaths of 77 long-finned pilot whales. Here is a much more cheerful story involving a pod of pilot whales and a solo transatlantic rower.
Tom Waddington set off on an attempt to break the world record for rowing solo across the Atlantic, while also raising money for the mental health charity Mind. Last Sunday, some 100 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, he had an unexpected visit by what he estimates was a pod of at least a thousand long-finned pilot whales that playfully swam around his boat for several hours.
“This is so cool,” Waddington said as he took a video of the whales’ antics that he posted on Instagram. With a laugh, he added, “I love it, but I’m scared they’re gonna hit my rudder.”
“They were just playing and going under the boat and I was taking videos,” he said on Facebook and Instagram, describing hundreds of whales around him. Then one of the whales slammed into the side of his light boat.
“And I was like, Oh my God. And suddenly it turned from David Attenborough into Moby Dick. And I was really scared.”
Eventually, the whales left the boat and its sole occupant with a rare story about crossing the Grand Banks, the large fishery at the edge of the North American continental shelf.
“It was absolutely incredible,” Waddington said.
The encounter didn’t harm the boat, or its progress across open water.
Between favorable winds and waves, and what Waddington called “whale-fueled adrenaline,” his boat is making good progress, he added. NPR notes that you can track Tom’s voyage online.
One Thousand Whales Surround Solo Rower
Thanks to Larry Witmer and Karen Lorentz for contributing to this post.
of course the ultimate record of 54 days was set in an earlier time by Harbo and Samuelson in 1896 when they rowed the greater distance from Norfolk beack NY to the scillies. The a whole day later set off to row onwards to Le Harve and up the seine to Paris.
Tom Waddington’s incredible encounter with a pod of over a thousand playful pilot whales is truly heartwarming! It’s amazing to see nature in such a beautiful way, especially during his solo transatlantic row. His experience, mixing awe with a bit of fear, adds a wonderful touch to his already inspiring journey for mental health awareness. Safe travels, Tom!