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[Editor: Dawid Mocke of Surfskischool South Africa had this incredible experience with an inquisitive Southern Right Whale a few days ago...]
 Southern Right Whale (Photo: Michaël Catanzariti)
Awesome Surf Ski School
So Saturday's
Surfskischool was not lekker at all; it was not good, great or even nice......IT
WAS AWESOME!!!! The sea was like glass, the water was warm, there was
no wind, birds were singing, people were smiling...and we were paddling.
And then there was the whale.....
Now, you all need to understand something about whales, despite that fact that
they are social creatures, there are also extremely inquisitive. I know
this because on numerous occasions I've had whales swimming right up to where
we had been training to see what was going on. I have been circled and
followed by whales and have thus come to learn about their curiosity. On Saturday,
as we started the 8am Ocean Expert session, one of the guys mentioned that
there was a whale just off the point towards Kalk Bay.
This is a fair distance away, but I knew that before long we would have a
little...sorry...large, visitor. What I did not know was the extent of
such visit.
Brett the whale arrives - "Hello!"
So, as our session was drawing to a close we started noticing our friend the
whale (who we should call "Brett") coming closer and closer, rolling
over, diving down and sending plumes of spray into the air. Brett the Whale
came steadily closer to see what these humans were doing paddling up and
down. We weren't paying too much attention to Brett until, suddenly, he
was a mere 50meters from us. He rolled over showing us his huge fin,
almost as if we was waving a "Hello"; and that gesture caught
everyone's attention. And just as suddenly he had got our attention, he
dissapeared under the water, and all we could see was a massive dark shadow
approaching the group.
"Where is it now?"
The ominous silence was only broken by the sloshing
ripples on the water's surface as this huge mass approached us. Someone
in the group (I think it was Jasper) voiced the obvious question on everyone's
minds with a high pitched: "Where is it now?" and "Where is it
going?" Then, ever so gently and as if to answer the question, Brett the
whale decided to say hello to Alex Capostagno. As a father plays
horsey-horsey with his child, Brett the whale slowly and gently came up under
Alex's ski, lifting it completely out of the water. No-one really knew what
to do. There were some "Wows" and "Awesomes" and then
the occasional nervous laugh.
I think we all just kind of expected Brett
to submerge and leave as his behaviour was a complete surprise to us, however
it seemed like Brett the whale wasn't surprised at all and was acutally quite
enjoying his back rub. The whale proceded to swim extremely tight circles
around Alex and her surfski, displaying the agility one would never expect from
a creature so large. Alex, blushing, in the meantime was as calm as Valentino Rossi
is at 200km/h and maintaining exceptional balance. We're not sure if she
was blushing because of being the centre of the group's, nay...the entire
beach's attention or of being the obvious recepient of Brett the whale's
affection.
"Are you ok?!"
Needless to say, her nervous laughter was met by semi-sincere:
"Are you okay"s all around. I say "semi-sincere"
since the circle around Alex and her new boyfriend was getting noticingly
larger all the while everyone was asking if she was okay and needed help.
Then, I think just to show off, he lifted Alex out of the water again with his
tail and this time succeeded in tipping Alex out of her surfski.
Obviously realising how fragile was his human masseus, the while slowly dropped
his tail and dived, swimming to the outside of the group. Then, like a
puppy runs circles in the garden, the whale proceded to swim around and around
doing loops and showing fins, quite clearly enjoying this game with his new
friends. Unfortunately his new friends were a bit taken aback and a quick
consensus was reached to return to shore (which incidentally was only 80metres
away). Upon reaching terra firma there was an explosion of conversation
as by-standers from the beach joined us paddlers in reliving the moment.
In the mean time Brett the whale was left hanging just off backline, wondering
where his new buddies dissappeared to. He seemed to be waiting.
 Southern Right Whale (Photo: Michaël Catanzariti)
Folks, this was not the end of Brett the whale's morning playtime just
yet. Once the excitement had ebbed to a manageable 'ecstatic', some of
the guys decided to go for a cruise paddle to Glencairn. Not wanting to
push the boundaries anymore than what has already been done, they gave Brett a
wide berth. Not wide enough to give him the slip though. Noticing the
paddlers heading out of the bay, the last we saw of Brett was him following the
group out past Sunny Cove clearly in search if another barnacle scratch.
So thus ends the the tale of the Brett the whale and his new girlfirend Alex
Capostagno, who never said a word to "Brett the whale" about her
other "Brett" the homo-sapien.
Dawid's school operates out of Fish Hoek several days a week. For all the info, check out:
www.surfskischool.com
(He won't guarantee that Brett will be back however...)
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This must of been an 'out of the world' experience.
Alex, I don't know if I would off kept so calm, and might off screamed like a girl, but this is a story you will most definitely never , never, never, ever, forget
Tx, Dawid for the article, -- You lucky bastards