DANA POINT, Calif. — A surfer was halfway into a fundraising paddle off the Southern California coast when she says she got a two-hour escort from a 30-foot Minke whale.Friends and relatives on a support boat took photos and video of the March 28 encounter between Jodie Nelson and the whale she named Larry.
Nelson was making a 40-mile paddle from Santa Catalina to Dana Point when the whale came within a paddle's reach of the surfer. She says the whale would roll over and expose its belly, then go beneath the surface and blow bubbles under her, causing a horrible stench when they reached the surface.
She had hoped to raise $100,000 for Boarding for Breast Cancer and Keep A Breast Foundation. She says publicity from the whale rendezvous helped her top $120,000.
To see more videos of minke whales, visit: http://www.oceanfootage.com/stockfootage/Minke
http://www.oceanfootage.com/video_clips/NZ04_027
To read the full article visit: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/06/surfer-assist-from-minke-whale/
