A scary moment off the shores of Stanley Park was caught on video and posted on social media on Monday night, showing a jet ski hitting a grey whale that had just surfaced.
It happened near Siwash Rock on the west side of Stanley Park.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) said it is assessing the incident and whether the whale was injured.
“The Marine Mammal Regulations prohibit disturbance to marine mammals,” Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in a statement.
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“Disturbance includes approaching the marine mammal to, or to attempt to: feed it; swim with it or interact with it; move it or entice or cause it to move from the immediate vicinity in which it is found; separate it from members of its group or go between it and a calf; trap it or its group between a vessel and the shore or between a vessel and one or more other vessels; or tag or mark it.”
DFO said that the regulations apply to all types of watercrafts including boats, kayaks and paddleboards.
No one is allowed to disturb a marine mammal, DFO said.
A number of social media posts said the whale had surfaced multiple times in the area prior to the strike.
The jet ski driver was ejected from the watercraft and rescued by the people on a nearby yacht.
The driver was later taken to the hospital for treatment.
While the collision was probably not dine on purpose the jet ski rider knew that they were in the area since other people also witnessed them surfacing multiple times. That means that the driver was aware of them yet recklessly proceeded. I think that the jet skier should be held accountable and prosecuted to the full extent.
More needs to be done to keep wildlife safe. We, as people, selfishly assume that everything revolves around us. We tend to think it’s “only one strike to a whale”, or that there’s ” lots of deer “, when we hit them with a car. That one interaction with people may severly impact or kill that animal. What would we say if that whale was a diver surfacing? It may be an animal but it has the right to live without us inflicting injury or death just because we “encounter” it.
I have seen many jet skiers while swimming, kayaking and canoeing. Most of them were going excessively fast and disregarded other people using the same body of water. Probably, 9 out of 10 didn’t seem to care that their quest for fun was ruining everyone else’s around them.
Why not ban jet skiing in the area for the season the whales are there. I’m sure the jet skiers can find somewhere else unlike the whales.
No Speed Limit ,No Experience,
No License Required…
I hope the JetSkiers name is released. He should never be allowed to show his entitled stupid face in this city without the worry of getting beat. What a piece of human garbage I’d like to put him in my meat grinder.
We should be educating those whales, I agree.
Thank goodness we live in a time where we can teach the whales how to swim responsibly with the water craft in the area.
Correction.. irritation
NO VESSELS TRAVELING FASTER THAN 20 KILOMETERS PER HOUR IN THE AREA …..JET SKIS ARE ALL ABOUT ELATION FOR THE RIDER/RIDERS..
AND AN IRRIGATION FOR ALL THE REST OF US …AND IN THIS CASE A WHALE JUST LIVING PEACEFULLY AMONGST US..OR AT LEAST TRYING TO..
So it seems to a lot of people here, hitting whales is ok. They are plentiful they say. All around. Funny, you know as a lad many many summers ago, I did a lot of fishing and guiding etc up and down the coast between Campbell River and Nanaimo, all around the islands and saw many many whales of all kinds. They even surfaced right beside the boat. The best thing about being on the water back then, no idiots on jet skis. Hardly even a whale strike cause folks weren’t tearing up the water at a million miles an hour! The problem with young today, ZERO RESPECT for anything. Meh its a big dorky animal. Its can take a whack are two. Young people are so shallow and ignorant now. No substance or grace for anything.
Whaie 1 driver 0
While 1 driver 0
Send him to jail
Throw him in jail
All kinds of boats are going too fast in the harbor, knowing there has been an increase of whale sightings. This is really upsetting at how dumb people behave and have likely injured this poor whale.
The jet ski driver should be fined. No consequences will mean they just do it again and again.
The article on the gray whale strike by the personal watercraft was interesting, but not realistic.
In kayaking, over 50% of the wild coast from Port Hardy to Bamfield, I have encountered numerous marine mammals who surfaced in an immediate proximity to my kayak. Last fall, in our power boat traveling between French Creek, Lasquiti Island, Hornby Island, Qualicum Beach and back, we encountered over thirty humpback whales. Whilst always being very cognizant of keeping away from those animals at one point, we reduced speed to change drivers and the sea boiled to port, and this was clearly a surfacing humpback. We could not possibly have seen or anticipated the surfacing of a submerged whale.
The realities of these encounters are not necessarily consistent with the parties interviewed in this story.
Richard Wilson
YEAH ? AND WHAT WILL BE DONE WITH THE LOSER AFTER HE HEALS ? I CAN TELL YOU, NOTHING
Collisions happen, vehicles hit deer, bear, moose, gophers, squirrels, birds and bugs all the time. I doubt this collision was done on purpose.
Throw the jet-skier in jail!!