If it wasn't for his camera, nobody would have believed this Southern California kayaker's whale tale. He captured breathtaking video of a giant blue whale who decided to swim alongside him off the coast of Redondo Beach.
Earlier this month, Rick Coleman and his wife were kayaking when a nearly 50-foot blue whale began eating lunch at the side of his boat. Coleman had purchased a special head-mounted video camera three weeks earlier. He tells CBS 8 San Diego the small investment was well worth it, as it gave credence to his incredible fish story.
The episode isn't without controversy. Coleman made a snap decision during his adventure to jump into the cool Pacific waters to get the hypnotizing view of the giant sea monster underwater. Susan, his wife,
nervously sat in another kayak waiting for her husband to to resurface.
Some have questioned whether Coleman, a veteran scuba diver, violated the law with his impromptu underwater swim next to the whale.
CBS 8 reports the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 says that "interrupting a whale's normal activity is harassment." Coleman feels he did nothing wrong. The blue whale was feeding next to his kayak when the video was taken, so Coleman says his underwater dive didn't bother the mammal. Coleman insists whales in the area are used to paddle boarders and kayakers as part of the ocean surroundings.
In the end, Coleman's optimistic the stunning video will help educate people about whales.
It will certainly entertain a lot of people.
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