One kayaker captured the scene “thrilling”A close encounter with a whale measuring 30 feet off the coast Cornwall.
Rupert Kirkwood, aged 62, was from Holsworthy, Devon. He filmed the moment that a Minke Whale circled him for 20 minutes while he paddled offshore near Fowey.
According to Mr Kirkwood, the PA news agency was: “Whales are very difficult to spot because they just roll off the surface without a splash and then they go.
“The beauty of them – which always makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck – is the noise of the blowhole.
“If I had been in a boat with an engine and not a kayak, there would have been no way I would have seen (the whale) because it guided me to it with the noise.
“The whole experience was absolutely thrilling.”
Rupert Kirkwood (62), a Holsworthy man from Devon, captured the moment he was circling by a Minke whale over 20 minutes (Rupert Kirkwood/PA).
Former farm vet, who is now a “passion for natural history”Kayaking has been his passion for 17 years. He began to devote most of his time to the sport after he retired early five years ago.
Kirkwood began his hobby by paddling nearly 30,000 miles and has seen 25 whales.
The father of four regularly updates his blog, The Lone Kayaker. He also posts videos and photographs from his adventures.
“An interest in natural history is in my blood and I’ve always had an absolute passion for it,”Kirkwood spoke.
“When I’m kayaking I often come across dolphins, who are quite social, and all sorts of other amazing creatures like basking sharks, giant tuna, sunfish, and even one leatherback turtle.
“I’m always thrilled to see seals and in the early mornings, otters – which are up there with my favourite creatures.”
Rupert Kirkwood captured “thrilling”Video footage of a close encounter of a whale of 30 feet off the coast Cornwall (Rupert Kirkwood/PA).
Kirkwood claimed that despite regularly being in close contact to wild animals, he has never felt threatened.
“Even when it’s a 30ft whale that could tip me out of my kayak with a single movement, it knows I’m there and it’s in total control,”He stated.
“Many of the creatures actually come towards a kayak because it breaks up the boring monotony of the sea.
“I don’t feel threatened by them at all, they always come over to have a look at me and it’s the same for the whales.
“Even when I was watching a basking shark, which can be around 25ft long and a bit more sinister, it had no interest in any bad intent.”
Rupert Kirkwood frequently posts updates to his blog, The Lone Kayaker (Rupert Kirkwood/PA).
Kirkwood did warn that the sea is his greatest threat and recommended that anyone considering taking up kayaking be prepared.
“I do take a barrage of safety equipment with me and I always wear a life jacket,”He stated.
“I called in with Fowey Coast Watch when I paddled out yesterday because there’s people who sit on top of a cliff looking out with binoculars, so I radioed in to tell them my plans.
“I always take a phone with me of course, a GPS personal locator beacon and flares – just in case of problems.”
Mr Kirkwood’s children share his keen interest in wildlife and have been helping him share his videos on social media.
Cornish Sea kayaking at it’s best
Today, I was able to befriend a Minke whale (30ft) six miles off Fowey. Blog post… https://t.co/hMyzgHfyeB— TheLoneKayaker (@TheLoneKayaker)
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A video of him meeting the Minke whale in close proximity, which he posted to Twitter, has been viewed over 101,000 times.
“The children are very excited about that,”Kirkwood spoke.
“My eldest son Henry, who now lives in Bristol, is studying to be a surveyor but he is a very talented wildlife photographer.
“He helps me put together videos to post online.
“The more people I share the videos with the better as far as I’m concerned. I just feel guilty that I get to have all the fun.”