Weeks after filming intense chase footage of a shark trailing a fellow foil surfer for miles off the Santa Barbara coast, local foil surfer Tavis Boise found himself in a similar encounter. This time, Boise encountered a gray whale and her calf.
In a video that he uploaded on YouTube on May 28, Boise is seen foil surfing offshore near Miramar Beach when he is unexpectedly joined by the two marine animals.
“What started as a normal downwind foiling session turned into something I’ll never forget,” he said in the video description.
Boise said he was riding about a quarter mile offshore when the mother and calf surfaced near him.
In the video, he is seen loudly exclaiming, “Whale”, as he points to the animals in the water close to his surfboard.
Realizing that the whales were very close to him, he attempted to slow down and create distance between himself and the animals. However, the situation changed quickly.
The protective mother gray whale became defensive, generating a powerful surge in the water with her tail.
Recounting his experience, Boise said that the mother whale kicked her fluke, which created a “turbulence” and knocked him off his hydrofoil board and into the ocean.
“It was absolutely nuts,” he said into the camera.
Fortunately, the encounter ended without any injuries to Boise or the whales.
In the video, Boise explains that if he had hit the whales, he would have landed a nasty, hard fall on his head or back, but the animals would have barely noticed him.
While the incident lasted only a few moments, it serves as a reminder of how quickly conditions can change when humans explore the ocean in the presence of large marine animals.
“It is easy to dream of these wildlife scenarios, but once you are actually face to face with a whale, all plans go out the window,” Boise said in the video description.
Recent Viral Shark Encounter
Boise’s encounter with the mother and baby gray whales adds another chapter to his unusual foil surfing experiences off the Santa Barbara coast.
In April 2026, Boise and his friend Ron Takeda were foil surfing from the University of California, Santa Barbara to Carpinteria when a shark suddenly appeared during their downwind run.
Boise, who was recording the surfing experience with a camera on a selfie stick, captured the thrilling encounter as the shark chased Takeda.
The shark’s dorsal fin was seen running parallel to Takeda’s surfboard, with the chase lasting for around two miles, after which the shark seemed to lose interest in the chase and swam away.
Despite the nerve-racking experience, neither surfer was injured, and both safely completed the rest of the ride.
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Nah, the shark thing was cool, this is NOT cool. He clearly steered toward these animals minding their own business.
And the comment that they “barely would have noticed me” if he hit them, come on. He easily could have injured these whales with the foil. Nature is not kind to injured animals, a gash can be a death sentence.
Not cool dude. No footage is worth this behavior.
He clearly DID NOT steer toward either these whales or the shark (which actually was encountered by his companion), so I don’t see how one could be “cool” and the other “not cool”. As the article correctly says “Realizing that the whales were very close to him, he attempted to slow down and create distance between himself and the animals. However, the situation changed quickly.” — his attention was on a sea lion when he suddenly became aware of the whale.
Dude, “harassing or disturbing” marine mammals can get you into real trouble in California. This qualifies. You documented your own violations for everyone to see.
This has ZERO to do with mammals, Mr. Expert. Whales are fish, just like penguins. IYKYK, amaright? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Funniest part is you won’t understand the satire there, so I have to hereby disclaim it for you….
hahahah i just choked on my coffee, that was hilarious