‘Dinner in the middle of a freeway.’ Touring company sees whale, ship have close call

Whale watchers recently got to see one of the majestic creatures try and eat “dinner in the middle of a freeway.”

That’s how San Francisco Whale Tours phrased a close encounter between a container freighter and a humpback whale in San Francisco Bay, near the Golden Gate Bridge, on a post on its Facebook page.

Passengers of the 3 p.m. tour Sept. 15 saw the whale come close to the freighter as it passed through the bay, according to the company’s Facebook page.

Container ships pass through the bay to reach or leave the Port of Oakland, the seventh busiest port in the United States.

“This is why it’s so important that captains be aware of their surroundings,” the company said on its Facebook.

The whale appeared to be feeding between Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz Island, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The touring company also mentioned in its Facebook post that ship captains should follow the “#seeablowgoslow” guidelines.

Those guidelines are from a Canadian charity, the Marine Education & Research Society.

“Our research is focused on investigating Humpback and Minke Whales in British Columbia but has also included work to understand and reduce risks to additional marine mammals in BC and in other parts of the world,” the society wrote on its website.

The society also has a “See a blow? Go slow!” section, where it gives tips to ship captains on how to keep themselves and whales safe once a whale is spotted.

“The whale watching boat backed off when it noticed the massive ship approaching, and crew members hoped the freighter would do the same,” the Chronicle reported. “When the humpback heard the rumble of the ship’s engines, it moved out of the way.”

The Chronicle and KPIX 5 CBS Local News reported that several whale carcasses have been found on shores around the Bay Area in 2018.

This story was originally published September 18, 2018 at 6:48 PM with the headline "‘Dinner in the middle of a freeway.’ Touring company sees whale, ship have close call."