The spokesperson for the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, Mary Jane Schramm, says they're asking kitesurfers to keep their distance. "We can't physically go out there and intervene, so what we can do is get the word out that the responsible thing to do is to resist the impulse.".

So while the kiteboarders shouldn't have been that close in the first place, one might argue that these guys were just as surprised to see the whales! With their incredible underwater hearing, those whales would have been well aware of the vibrating blades of carbon whizzing around the bay. That poor bloke who wiped out right behind the whale though - would have nearly walked on water trying to get back to his board!

Check out the footage, but don't try this one when whale season comes around in the next few months.