(KTLA) – An adolescent Australian shepherd came snout to snout with a friendly whale during a California boating excursion Monday afternoon.
The dog, aptly named Skipper, was riding aboard a whale excursion vessel in Monterey Bay, California. The boat was in neutral, at a complete stop, when a pair of friendly whales came within inches of the boat and the onlookers, including Skipper.
Skipper belongs to the boat’s owner, according to Evan Brodsky, a crew member with the Monterey Bay Whale Watch boat tours.
Brodsky captured the video and shared it with KTLA.
In it, you can see a pair of whales breach the surface multiple times as Skipper excitedly watches.
Brodksy said they love having dogs join the whale-watching trips — bringing together two animals that would normally have no chance of knowing the other exists.
According to Monterey Bay Whale Watch, whose excursions are led by marine biologists, a large variety of whales and dolphin species can be seen during the outings, depending on the season. They include gray whales, humpback whales, blue whales, pacific white-sided dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, northern right whale dolphins and killer whales, among others.
The boat crew did not identify which kind of whales Skipper encountered.
