Volunteers handing out safety cards at Vancouver beaches after whale hit by jet ski

Volunteers took to Vancouver beaches over the long weekend to promote whale safety in the wake of a Jet Ski incident earlier this month.

After a grey whale that had been delighting onlookers off the coast of Vancouver for several days was struck by a jet ski operator earlier this week, a group of volunteers are taking to the city’s beaches to educate others about keeping marine life safe.

Georgia Vanpopta got a group of marine mammal enthusiasts together through the Howe Sound and Sea to Sky Wildlife Sightings Facebook group, and they plan to hand out information cards at local beaches through the summer when an influx of tourists come to visit.

“A lot of people were upset and mad (when the whale was hit),” she told CTV News on Friday. “I thought, a lot of people just don’t know about the laws and we can’t shame them for what they don’t know.”

Under federal regulations, people cannot approach, feed or interact with whales and must stay at least 100 metres away from them, and a minimum of 200 metres if the animal is resting or accompanied by a calf. Getting too close to a whale could result in a fine of up to $100,000.

Neither the grey whale nor the jet ski operator appear to have been seriously hurt on Monday evening, but experts are calling the incident a wake-up call for marine safety.

“As we’re becoming an even bigger city we’re attracting a lot more tourists and a lot of tourists are getting out on the water and doing water sports,” Vanpopta continued. “I just think we all really need to learn and educate ourselves on how to keep ourselves safe and keep the whales safe when on the water.”

Anyone can join the Facebook group and get involved in the campaign, and volunteers plan to visit Jericho, Kitsilano, Second, Third, and English Bay beaches on weekends to start.

Vanpopta says reaction has been positive so far, and some tourists were surprised whales came so close to the city at all.

“It’s something really cool to get people interested in and see close up without being on the water, endangering yourself endangering them,” she said. “You can see them from land too and it’s really cool.”