Whale Watching

Added by James Morley on October 3, 2010

Authorities in Albany, South of Perth in Western Australia, I’m looking for a teenager who rode a whale off the South coast.

The Department of Environment and Conservation said the boy lifted himself onto a southern right whale about 20m from the shoreline off Middleton Beach in the states south coast tourist hotspot.

The “Whalerider”  incident has now been reported globally, even making it to the BBC and CNN news headlines.

The Wildlife Conservation Act states that harassing animals is an offence and the boy could face a maximum fine of $10,000 Au.

Under the act, swimmers must stay a minimum distance of 30m away from whales.

A witness who saw the incident reported it police and claims that she heard the boy yelling “i’m humping a whale”.

Albany, many years ago, was the whaling station capital of Australia.

Due to the change in whaling laws, the whaling station has closed down, but remains a popular tourist spot.

Whales frequent the area regularly, along with many sharks.

This makes for a dangerous combination for anyone wishing to take a dip in the cool waters.

Police have little information to go on, but expect to lay charges sometime soon, with the help of the public.