David Sheridan was out riding the waves on Valla Beach in New South Wales, Australia last month when he had a close encounter with something in the water. But unlike other stories you’ve heard before, this one wasn’t a shark.
Instead, the 42-year-old kite surfing high school teacher ran over a whale that had apparently been submerged right underneath him. He realized he was in trouble when he saw a giant shadow in the water but there was no way he could get out of the way in time.
“At first I thought it was the shadow from my kite,” he remembers. “But I quickly realized it was a whale. The whale kept coming up. … I did not know what to expect and I went over its back just past its fin.
“Next thing I felt was its tail come up and hit me on the back of the head.”
Sheridan was alone at the time of the incident and feared that the sudden blow would knock him off his perch or leave him unconscious in the open water. Instead, he wound up shaken and dazed but still in possession of his senses.
They told him to get out of there, pronto.
“Soon after the initial impact the tremendous force subsided and I kite-surfed away with my legs shaking, hooting and yelling filled with excitement and relief,” he recalls.
It’s not that unusual for whales to be in the waters off Australia’s east coast at this time of year, since they migrate north from the Antarctic with their offspring. But it’s rare that man and Moby come together in the middle of that sea of blue.
Sheridan has become something of a local celebrity after his whale of a tale, but some people still think his story is kind of fishy.
“It’s unfortunate that my mates weren’t close enough to witness the action,” he laments nearly a month after it happened. “I don’t think they really believed my story at the time.”
Source: CityNews
September 9th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.