A Whale of a Tale? Woman ‘almost’ gets swallowed by whale?

Some times I amazed at the press and their PR antics.

You see this all too often. Sensationalism done for notoriety's sake.

Earlier this week, a YouTube video caught the eyes of people all over the internet world. The video captured two things if you look closely: the creation of a ‘bubble net’ used by Humpback whales to corral fish they are about to eat, and then the actual surfacing, or breaching, of Humpback whales between two kayakers and a woman on a paddle board.

It was a rare shot and actually a good one. But then the Press loves controversy:

“Woman Almost Swallowed by Whale!”

Well, sort of. Nearly doesn’t really say that she was swallowed. But anyone reading the headline bites the proverbial lie and goes to the site where such an untruth has been dealt.

From the outset, many people could say, “Well it was just a little lie – a little ‘white lie’ – so why all the ruckus, whalepeople person?”

The truth is that I don’t have my knickers in a twist (I don’t really even know how that would feel), but let me point out something. Subtle comments like that make whales seem wild and dangerous. Dangerous animals. Animals that because they are “dangerous” can be killed, hunted or maimed.

“Silly” one would say, “Who would do such a thing?”

I wonder.

Maybe try the Japanese or the Icelandic Faroe culture – even the Alaskans. Turn the “animal” into a dangerous creature and then it becomes edible.

Think about it.

What usually is missed in all such articles like this, is that these creatures have been doing this for millions of years. You think they are invading our little pleasure excursions with our little boats and paddle boards.

Think again.

If Humpback whales know how to catch fish using simple but highly technical traits such as blowing a ring of bubbles, do you think they might be able to tell the difference between a kayak boat and a fish the length of a man’s hand?

“Well. Gee, I really didn’t mean that…”

“Uh, huh. Go on…”

“Well, uh…”

“Tell me,  how many whales in recorded history have swallowed a man or a boat?”

“Uhhhhhh…..well there was Jonah…”

…

You see, it is all about sensationalism and always has been. Make something not well thought of and it becomes dangerous, even possibly a menace to society.

Now, not to be one-sided, these Humpback Whales are protected and fines can be given by our government for harassing them. I will admit that man has made some progress since the tales of Jonah or Captain Ahab.

But not much, mind you.

Whales are social creatures and far more sentient than most of you know. They use sound wavelengths similar to quasar emissions from distant stars to pass information over long distances of water. They navigate thousands of miles by the stars and by underwater landmarks with a precision man cannot even fathom as of yet. Whales have even a social hierarchy, which approaches our own.

A Gray Whale making friends with a tourist on a panga in Baja, California

And their actions sometimes even defy our own thoughts and reasoning. The Gray Whales of Baja lift their children to small boats of tourists to see and have direct contact. Why would they do that?

Killer whales, after having their bellies made full of small sea lion pups, have been seen to nudge the smaller ones caught in the surf back to land.

A predator no less.

And we say we are the smarter one?

The next time you see a story about a whale that almost “swallows a woman” recognize that once again “Yellow Journalism” has crept into our lives and the person writing his/her story has made his $200 a week paycheck.