California surfer receives whale of an escort during marathon paddle

[Contrary1]

:thumbsup:



"When Southern California surfer Jodie Nelson set out Sunday to standup-paddle nearly 40 miles from Santa Catalina Island to Dana Point, she hoped it'd inspire her best friend, who has been involved in a long and exhausting struggle with breast cancer, to keep fighting.

Nelson, 34, whose mother and aunt are cancer survivors, also hoped her nine-hour test of endurance would raise money for two cancer charities and heighten awareness about a plight affecting millions of women.

What Nelson could not have known was that a 30-foot minke whale would swim alongside her 14-foot board and accompany the surfer as she stood and paddled for two of those nine hours, thus joining the cause.

<snip>

Minke whales are not commonly seen off Southern California, and those spotted by boaters are often elusive. So when a mammal Nelson named Larry joined her endeavor to become the first woman to make this long paddle, she took it as a sign..."

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/16812/california+surfer+receives+whale+of+an+escort+during+marathon+paddle/

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. cool!

[JuniperLea]

3. +1!!

[rfranklin]

2. Good thing it wasn't one of those killer whales...

We might not have seen this story.

[nolabear]

29. Don't be so sure. Orcas have accompanied humans many times.

Yes, they are wild and yes, they are predators. But they also are interested in people and have had many complex interactions with us, not all of which, to both our species' credits, resulting inthe death of one or the other.

[Cetacea]

30. No Orcas or smaller dolphins have ever killed a human in wild

as you pointed out, they have a curiosity about us. I(most likely because they "sonar" our brains and see a kinship)

[sulphurdunn]

42. True enough, but

they love to snack on seals, so switching from black to bright orange and blue diving suits was probably a good idea. Just in case.

[arcadian]

4. That's awesome

[Stinky The Clown]

5. "A sign"

I believe in signs. This is a good one.

Good on Jodie.

Good on Larry.

[calimary]

6. Remarkable!

I love stuff like this!

:toast: :patriot: :thumbsup: :kick: :yourock:

[KittyWampus]

7. Larry the Minke Whale. Maybe a soft toy maker could donate some Larry the Minke Whale dolls

to help raise funds.

[barbtries]

8. that is so cool.

i'd take it as a sign as well.

[omega minimo]

9. totally rad

:bounce::loveya:

[elehhhhna]

10. Minke whales rock!

[elehhhhna]

11. Larry the Minke needs his own fundrasier.

They're being hunted to extinction right now.

[Cetacea]

31. +1000000

Despite their obvious benign and often helpful nature we continue to allow a small smattering of barbarians to murder them, and in the most ruthless of manners.

note: keep an eye on Obama. He has apparently kept a Bush appointee who is considering supporting a deal with the Japanese that would allow unlimited whaling off the Japan coast.

[MoonRiver]

40. ......

We have to keep a pressure cooker on this administration to stop the slaughter.

[Cetacea]

32. Kerry

Kerry introduced a bill in mid-March to(presumably)counter the Japanese compromise whaling treaty. It's hard to find any updated information on either measures.

[Odin2005]

12. I love whales!

:loveya:

[proud patriot]

13. I love Whales

it's as simple as that

[flvegan]

14. And her story, and the story of her friend and those charities got lots more attention.

Thanks, Larry. Good work!

I love stories like this.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. That is incredible. Not only gave her more publicity,,,but must have made her feel like

Mother Nature was on her side.

[RiverStone]

16. Very cool - whales know a lot more about what's going on....

..than many people realize.

Thanks for sharing! :)

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cetacea]

33. We can assume that large brains equal large minds

:hi:

[itsrobert]

18. Nice story

?

[AllyCat]

19. Beautiful! A strong graceful woman fighting for a beloved friend

joined by an ambassador from the ocean.

[tango-tee]

20. Damn, where's the Kleenex? Have something in my eye.

So heartwarming... I believe in signs, too.

[xchrom]

21. Larry is Teh Awesome! Nt

[blueamy66]

22. Amazing.

What a great story to start the day with.

[proReality]

23. Fantastic! n/t

[Kajsa]

24. This is so cool!!

I love our whales!
What a beautiful story.

:loveya:

Thanks so much for sharing this.
:)

[valerief]

25. I can see the headline: Minke Stole Story. nt

[tabasco]

26. Beautiful, intelligent creatures.

They are probably very curious.

[Contrary1]

27. Update: So far, she has raised $119,585.33 and link to video

She has upped her goal to $1,000,000. I think she'll probably make it.

More info and pics here:
http://firstgiving.com/paddlewithpurpose

Edit to add video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36158606#36158606

[WorseBeforeBetter]

28. That must have been exhilarating.

What a great story.

[MoonRiver]

34. Wonderful story!

I so love whales!! :loveya:

[ihavenobias]

35. +1 n/t

[blue sky at night]

36. thanks for the post...

so nice to hear something positive!

[ClarkUSA]

37. Boycott Japanese products. They target minkes for "scientific experiments" aka. death by harpoon.

Ditto for Norway and Iceland.

[G_j]

38. +1000

[MoonRiver]

39. ABSOLUTELY!

:mad::mad::mad:

[troubledamerican]

41. New Zealand joins support IN FAVOR OF Japan Whale Hunt -- "moratorium is emo-attachment"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8073679

[neverforget]

43. that is awesome! I love whales.