Author Topic: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)  (Read 2579 times)

lopezwill

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( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« on: May 02, 2016, 09:16:20 PM »


  This actually happened yesterday ( Sunday) mid-day.  I was sup surfing near Pismo Beach in Central Calif.  It's a long sandy beach break coastline.  There was a nice Southwest south swell running at 4 to 6 feet, sunny, warm, light wind.  I was sup surfing by myself (I know…it still happens in some places in Calif to score waves with nobody out) and having a great time!  I'll preface this by saying I have been sup surfing for about 6 years and ocean surfing in Calif. for over forty years.  I've seen plenty of things in the ocean in that time.

  A closed out set went by as I was waiting for a wave on the outside sand bar.  This is when I saw just to the south of me a long approx. 100 foot long by four foot wide undercurrent sand line on the surface of the blue green water.  I said to myself this is very odd and noted that I had never seen this before in my history of surfing.  30 feet out in front of me and approx. 100 feet north of me was a similar up-churned brown sand line going north.  The water was moving and I thought there was possibly a shark underwater but dismissed this thought as the lines were way to long.  The water kept churning and I then thought it must be the changing of the tide going from high to low and the new larger South swell moving the sand around.   I dismissed this thought of the swell moving the sand also and was just "puzzled " by what I was seeing.

  A nice set was approaching with the first wave being a nice approx. 8 foot faced right shoulder.  I spun around and paddled into the wave.  Just as I was dropping into the wave and approx. 3 feet in front of me and under water was the back 1/4 half of a gray whale.  The tail width looked to be about four feet and I could see white blotches of barnacles on its backside.  The whale was obviously traveling north in the trough of the wave and I could not see the front half of him.  There was no time for me to jump off my board and I knew I was going to have to surf over the tail area of the whale.  I immediately thought my waist leash would get tanged in his tail if he decided to curl his tail as whales sometimes do.  I was terrified!  I pictured myself getting tangled in his tail, him becoming frightened and making a sharp turn out to sea and me being towed under water to my certain death.  I traveled directly over the back part of his tail without hitting him and more miraculously he did not curl his tail.  I surfed in straight a few yards and looked behind me to see several gray whales now surfacing while heading north.  Two of the whales were swimming upside down.  I had seen this whale behavior from a distance before as they are known to scratch themselves on the sand bottom to loosen lice and barnacles from their skin.  I headed in now approx. 75 feet from the whales and immediately started waving my paddle and screaming to the beach of the unusual and cool activities happening.  Nobody was on the beach!  Nobody could hear me.  A few families were in the dune line picnicking but oblivious to me or the whales.  I said to myself," I just paddle surfed over the back of a grey whales tail and who is ever going to believe me?  There is nobody out here but me, the whales and God.  I was so full of adrenaline and gratitude after what I had witnessed I paddled into shore and rested for awhile.

  The waves were still good and I didn't see the whales so I paddled out for some more sup surfing.  Once outside I could see that the family of whales were now approx. 300 yards north of me but still inside the surf line in approx. 6 to 8 feet of water where the outside waves would break.  I'm accustom to seeing grey whales while surfing but they were always outside the surf and usually I would see them by their spouts.  Not this family, they followed the outside sand bar and never did spout.  As fait would have it I was waiting on the outside and what I would say was the best wave of the day was about to arrive.  It was a really nice shaped left, approx. 8 foot faced mushy take off with a long perfect wall peeling left.  I dropped into it with and easy back side bottom turn and raced across the wave doing turns from top to bottom on my 9'5" Speed.  I came to a really nice section of the wave and just screamed across it for about five seconds ..right under the curl!  I finally cut out the back with enough speed to turn and go out to sea on a full plan.  I was stoked!  I remember saying to myself, "This is a day I will absolutely never forget!"  I'm sorry I don't have any pictures, only memories etched into my mind.  Especially the memory of paddle surfing less than inches over that whales tail.  The above story is really the truth to the best of my knowledge.  I hope you some how can enjoy this as much as I did!?

surfinJ

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2016, 09:36:09 PM »
 :) You've painted the scene beautifully. What luck to have had such an experience. And nice story to start my day here with, thanks.

exiled

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2016, 10:03:56 PM »
I totally believe you. I've had a couple of close encounters with humpback whales while out susing over reef breaks, but never quite that close. Its amazing how something that big can sneak up on you. I can remember hearing the huff of one exhaling behind me and being scared out of my skin. Just didn't have a category to put the sound in.

PonoBill

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2016, 11:23:22 PM »
I've seen the fin of a humpback under the left side of my board, then turned to see the rest of the whale surface on the right side. My board was touching the whale with the fin under the board.

I'd love to see greys that close, and I'd REALLY love to see a blue.
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stoneaxe

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2016, 05:54:33 AM »
What an awesome experience. You'll be telling that story forever.

I got sprayed once, a mix of awe and disgust.....mostly disgust later because I could not get rid of the fermented sardines smell.
Bob

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SpaceCoastPaul

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #5 on: May 03, 2016, 06:04:49 AM »
Great story, well told. Thanks for sharing.
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supthecreek

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #6 on: May 03, 2016, 06:14:09 AM »
Nice Lopez! Great days like that are the spice of life!
Thanks for the nice writeup  :)

eastbound

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2016, 08:28:59 AM »
thx for the nice read--very cool
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Bulky

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2016, 09:00:22 AM »
Awesome!  They are magnificent animals and I'm seeing lots of them this time of year.  I capture some neat video but a lot of the shows--like yours--are just for me.  Never seen them in such shallow water, though--that's cool!

Stoked for you and sharing the wonder.  The overwhelming majority of the world never get to see a whale at all.  I'm always tickled that I'll be up close and personal with a whale and then I go to work--just a plain old day!
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Subber

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Re: ( Calif Gray Whale Story)
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2016, 10:38:19 AM »
Yup Awesome!
 ;D



Didn't think about the potential problem of leash entanglement but I suppose a "waist leash" would
be better than an ankle leash if you were being towed.

I had the bottom of my board skimmed by a very large dolphin that was taking off on a large wave
as I was paddling out.  I wonder if their sonar picks up a leash?
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Takayama Ali'i II Surftech 11'x21.375”x28.5”x17.25”x 4.25,” 162 liters, 26 lbs, 3 boxes

 


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