Overview
- A viral video shows windsurfer Eric Kramer hitting a breaching gray whale near San Francisco’s Crissy Field, sending him off his board as both appeared unharmed.
- Kramer said he had slowed after seeing whales and later wrote that he was glad he and the animal were okay.
- The Marine Mammal Center called the collision concerning for people and whales and reported several gray whales in the bay this season.
- Federal rules require staying 100 yards from whales, and experts urge boaters and paddlers to slow or leave the area when they spot blows or mud plumes.
- Scientists note an unusual early presence of whales in a busy corridor with ferries and container ships, and they cite a gray whale population drop of more than 50% since 2016 with four strandings in the bay this year.