On October 11, 2009, a dramatic event occurred on an Oceanic Society whale watching boat near the Farallon Islands, 25 miles west of San Francisco. The vessel Salty Lady came upon a group of humpback whales, which is not unusual as it had been sighting whales pretty much every whale watching weekend, However, on this trip, four humpback whales approached the boat and for over an hour circled the boat, nearly brushing up against it, and seemed to make contact with the 45 passengers on board. One even lifted its head out of the water with passengers reaching out to pet it. There is no doubt that these whales sought out human contact and some form of communication was taking place. Look for yourself.