A video of a man wading into the ocean just metres from a feeding grey whale on Vancouver Island has prompted a furious debate over how close is too close when it comes to marine wildlife.
The video, shared on the Victoria Buzz Facebook page, shows a man identified as “Steve” approaching the ocean giant at Keeha Bay Beach, near Bamfield, on the weekend.
The man comes just metres away from a massive fin but never ends up making contact with the creature as his friends are heard laughing in the background.
But B.C. marine mammal experts who saw the video say it’s no laughing matter.
“We are seeing very normal behaviour that we’re seeing for the grey whale, but unfortunately what we’re also seeing is an individual approaching the animal too closely,” said Tessa Danelesko, a whale encounter expert at Vancouver Aquarium.
She said while the whale in the video didn’t seem perturbed by the interaction, there are rules governing human-whale interaction for good reason.
“It’s feeding because it needs a certain amount of energy, and when we disrupt that energy it can be costly for that individual,” said Danelesko. “That’s why we ask that everyone stay at least 100 metres away from marine wildlife.”
Reaction to the Facebook post was mixed, with many commenters criticizing Steve while others rushed to defend him.
Comments ranged from “Someone give that guy a fine” to others who said “The whale was in no danger, and was in no means stressed.”
One man who identified himself as a friend of Steve’s said he was standing 10 feet away while the video was being filmed.
“The whale was having a great time scratching his belly and it was a consensual meeting. Steve is now the ambassador to the whale kingdom,” Jamie Lee Fisher joked.
Close encounters have landed B.C. residents in hot water before.
Two Fort St. John men were charged last month after filming one of the men jumping onto a moose as it attempts to swim away.
Island conservation officers said they were considering charges after a video surfaced of somebody hand-feeding rice cakes to black bears near Tofino.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said the latest video could be interpreted as harassment in Canadian waters, but is not considering charges at this time.
Watch the video below:
