Couple get a tail of a whale to regale their friends

VIRGINIA BEACH

Ann Morris wanted to go whale-watching with her boyfriend, Jeff Evans, over the weekend.

So the couple boarded Evans' 20-foot boat and headed to Cape Henry on Saturday morning.

They saw pods of whales come up for air, and then suddenly, a humpback surfaced a mere 50 or 60 feet away. It lifted its massive tail skyward, slapped it against the surface numerous times, then dove back under.

"It was thrilling and frightening all at the same time," Morris, 56, said. "We couldn't believe what was happening."

Warm waters have brought whales closer to the shore so the chances of seeing one of the nautical behemoths are high. And that's brought out the boaters. Animal experts are cautioning whale watchers to be careful, and exercise safety when the whales surface.

Mendy Garron, regional stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northeast Office in Gloucester, Mass., said folks need to be aware of whale-watching guidelines.

Boaters aren't supposed to approach within 300 feet of a humpback whale, since they are an endangered species. Right whales are critically endangered, so stay at least 1,500 feet away.

Morris said the whale seemed to be headed in the same direction that she and her boyfriend were when it suddenly surfaced. "We were closer than we should've been," she said, "but we didn't know the whale was going to come up near us."

Although she was scared, Morris said, she did take photos of what was a thrilling moment.

If a whale approaches a boat, Garron advises putting the boat in neutral and letting it drift. She said boaters should let the whale move around them and that it will eventually leave the area.

Virginia Beach resident Patrick McLaughlin took photos of the couple's encounter from about a quarter of a mile away. The whale was near Evans' boat, but not as close as it appears to be in the photos. That's because McLaughlin used a telephoto lens that creates an effect that compresses the distance between objects in the frame.

McLaughlin, who happened to be fishing in the area, said he has seen whales during fishing and kayaking adventures and doesn't bother them.

"We try to stay away from them but they pop up, then go down," he said. "It's almost a point of reacting; if a whale comes up to you, you can't help that."

Garron advised boaters to not approach whales head-on and to stay behind them.

Sometimes, as in Morris' case, a whale will "kick-feed," or hit the surface of the water with its tail. Garron said this is dangerous because the whale can tip a boat over when doing this.

During kick-feeding, the whale may be communicating with others or eating, Garron said.

The couple have gone whale-watching in previous years. They've seen whales before. The whales usually come to the surface, spray water through their blow holes, and then go back down, Morris said.

"It was scary," she said, "but it was quite an experience."

Jennifer Jiggetts, 757-222-5150, jennifer.jiggetts@pilotonline.com