Most of us have had a run-in with Mother Nature at least once or twice while riding our personal watercraft. Pods of dolphin, seals and sea lions, manatee, birds, snakes, and a whole lot of bugs. It’s pretty common place when motoring through the great outdoors. But, it is a rare occasion when nature’s largest mammals decide to share the same water with you.
First published on AOL.com’s news feed, we spotted this untimely video of a Sea-Doo enthusiast getting a little too up close and personal with a humpback whale. From the look of the video, the collision is only a slight run-in and no injury was sustained by the whale (or to the rider and ski).
Although we’d like to give the rider in this video the full benefit of the doubt, we have to wonder (because the video clip is conspicuously short) if he was chasing this pod of humpback whales too closely to begin with, or if the whale merely surfaced too quickly for the rider to respond.
Nevertheless, being fully aware of one’s surroundings is paramount particularly when riding at speed. Obstacles – be them dormant or sentient – will spring up leaving you with very little time to respond. That is why sharp reflexes and undivided attention are necessities. Far too often impaired or distracted riding leads to accidents. That is why we’re glad this rider was sharp enough to swerve at the last minute like he did.
