Julie McSorley had a profound realization after a close encounter with a humpback whale: “Whales require personal space.”
This took place back in Nov 05, 2020, McSorley and her friend, Liz Cottriel, were having a kayaking adventure in San Luis Obispo Bay, California. They were observing the whales enjoying their meal of silverfish when unexpectedly, one gigantic whale emerged beneath them. The force of the emergence capsized their kayak and sent them into the water.
Other kayakers and paddlers managed to capture images and videos that seemed to depict the women and their kayak being briefly swallowed by the whale’s mouth. However, the incident happened so quickly that McSorley and Cottriel were unsure of the exact circumstances.
McSorley, in conversation with As It Happens host Carol Off, admitted, “I’ve come to realize that we don’t belong in the feeding territory of whales.” She further added that they unintentionally got too close to the whales, which was a mistake she won’t repeat.
San Luis Obispo Bay near Avila Beach has recently seen a surge in humpback whale activity, attracting kayak and paddle enthusiasts eager to watch the magnificent creatures. McSorley, having experienced this before, proposed the idea to Cottriel when she visited.
Despite Cottriel’s initial fear of the ocean and what lies beneath, she decided to step out of her comfort zone, reassured by McSorley’s confidence in the stability of kayaks.
During the first part of their expedition, they trailed two humpbacks, maintaining a safe distance. They would spot the clusters of fish, or “bait balls,” see the whales come up for a bite, wait for a while, and then move to where the whales had previously been.
The unexpected happened while they were calmly waiting for the next bait ball. Fish suddenly surrounded them, and what McSorley anticipated to be a thrilling experience turned into a nerve-racking one. In a split second, their kayak was lifted and they were thrown into the water.
Cottriel, panicking and confused, saw the whale’s mouth descending on them. She mistook it for the whale’s belly and instinctively raised her hand to halt it. The next thing she knew, she was underwater.
McSorley, too, was disoriented by the sudden upheaval. Once in the water, she had no idea of their position in relation to the whale.
Sam Mcmillan was photographing the whales nearby. He only realized the plight of the women when he heard cries of concern. It wasn’t until he reviewed his pictures at home that he fully understood the dramatic event, seeing the women directly in the whale’s mouth.
Photo: This shot by Sam Mcmillan of Atascadero, Calif., shows a kayak paddle sticking out of the whale’s mouth after it surfaced between Cottriel and McSorley. (Sam McMillan Photography)
McSorley and Cottriel were equally oblivious of their perilous situation until other kayakers rescued them and explained what had happened.
Reflecting on the incident, McSorley expressed her intention to maintain a greater distance from whales in future kayaking trips. She stated, “I will continue to kayak in the ocean with dolphins, otters, seals, and other creatures, but I believe whales require their own space.”