Facebook

Kiteboarder Accidentally Collides With Humpback Whale off Crissy Field Beach in San Francisco

A kiteboarder struck a humpback whale in the San Francisco Bay while a camera was rolling.

Andrei Grigoriev crashed into the massive marine mammal off Crissy Field Beach on June 18. The stunned man told Australia’s 9News that the encounter was “completely accidental.”

Grigoriev captured the incident on video and posted it on Facebook, writing that the humpback whale frightened him by first passing under his board and then doubling back 15 seconds later at a “high speed, splashing fountains and rolling.”

The video doesn’t show whether the humpback whale was injured.

In recent months, whales have frequently been spotted in Northern California waters. Some have frolicked, delighting onlookers, but others have washed ashore, dead, after being struck by vessels in the ocean.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration advises people to maintain at least a 100-yard distance from all marine mammals, Hoodline reported.

The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act is in place to safeguard whales, dolphins, seals, manatees, sea otters, sea lions and more. So feeding, capturing, killing or harassing the animals is illegal, according to the Marine Mammal Center.

Contact Us