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Video showing man’s close contact with grey whale is ‘no laughing matter’

[A man identified as ‘Steve’ runs from a feeding grey whale on Keeha Bay Beach on Vancouver Island / Victoria Buzz/Facebook]

Witnessing marine wildlife in their natural habitat is a thrilling experience, but one man’s close encounter with a grey whale feeding in the ocean is causing quite the disturbance online.

The video, shared to the Victoria Buzz Facebook page, shows a man identified as ‘Steve’ walking towards a whale that appears to be feeding at Keeha Bay Beach on Vancouver Island.

“Steve decided he wanted to try and touch it,” the video description reads.

But as he gets closer to the whale, Steve quickly changes his mind after seeing “how big it actually was.”

Although the man didn’t make contact with the whale, a B.C. marine mammal expert told CTV News that his close encounter is “no laughing matter.”

“We are seeing very normal behaviour that we’re seeing for the grey whale, but unfortunately what we’re also seeing is an individual approaching the animal too closely,” Tessa Danelesko said.

“It’s feeding because it needs a certain amount of energy, and when we disrupt that energy it can be costly for that individual,” she added.

The video quickly attracted mixed reactions on Facebook.

One woman criticized Steve: “He could’ve gotten injured. Someone give that guy a fine.”

Another one came to the defence and wrote: “You might all be overreacting, considering he never actually touched the whale.”

In order to stay out of hot water, perhaps next time, it’s best to keep a safe distance away from any marine wildlife - at least 100 metres.