Residence of British Columbia, Canada have been documenting their up-close encounters with Humpback whales in Vancouver’s English Bay. The whales are migrating from winter destinations like Hawaii, or tropical water’s further south in Mexico and Central America to the rich waters off the coast of British Columbia.
Vancouver kayakers @johnnyvanuck captured this close encounter with a humpback whale off Vancouver’s Kitsilano Beach. Watch the full VIDEO here.
The two men are sitting in their kayaks enjoying a day on the water when suddenly a humpback whale curiously surfaces next to their kayaks. Having seen one of these magnificent animals from a 20 foot inflatable boat one can only imagine how their hearts must have skipped a beat when the giant whale comes up to say hello.
For several weeks humpbacks whales have been spotted in English Bay. It is amazing to see whales returning to English Bay, which surrounds that major Canadian city of Vancouver. The Bay is an active shipping port and used by recreational boaters, sail boats, kayakers and other watercrafts.
Humpback whales are the most playful and acrobatic species of whales in the world. Just for fun, they are even known for turning over small icebergs in the Arctic. These whales can grow up to 50 feet (15 metres) in length and live up to 50 years. Currently, scientists estimate there are 40,000 humpback whales in the oceans.
The humpback whales make a 3100 mile (5,000 km) migration each year, leaving from from the coast of Mexico and Central America in the winter and then returning to the coastal area spanning from California to southern British Columbia in the summer and fall.
Anyone on a boat who encounters a whale should turn off their engines and maintain a minimum safe distance of 100 metres (328 feet) at all times.
