Curious Humpback Whales Say Hello to Boaters Off California Coast

Stunning footage captured by a California resident shows two humpback whales greeting onlookers as they swim calmly around a boat in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Evan Brodsky, who posted the aerial shot to Instagram on October 14, said he was awed by the encounter.

“The inquisitiveness and curiosity of the humpback whale just blows my mind,” he said, detailing that he and his party encountered a female humpback known locally as Scarlet, a calf and another unidentified male.

“This amazing curiosity that Scarlet exhibits around boats is beyond incredible,” he said. “Like clockwork every time we see her she comes up to say hello. Today was honestly the best show she’s ever put on for me yet.”

He said Scarlet sat with their 33-foot boat for more than two hours during the encounter. “They are the real definition of a gentle giant,” he said. Credit: Evan Brodsky via Storyful