Whale Attack (updated pictures)

[This is a re-post from Sunday]

Ok that's a bit of an exaggeration, but we did have a fin whale in our marina today.

A 15-meter-long young whale was found Sunday morning washed up in a port near Ashkelon has died.

An Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center (IMMRAC) crew rushed to the site, but were unable to save the calf, which sustained injuries as it came into the port.

After struggling and thrashing for half an hour, it finally sank below the water's surface. ... Television footage showed air bubbles on the water's surface slowly fading away.

So the whale drowned? Who knew?

IMMRAC Chairman Aviad Sheinin said that "obviously it's a very sad situation for us. Fin whales don't come very often to Israel."

He came, he saw, he died. That's definitely not going to help the whale tourism.

Besides tending to drown in calm seas, the fin whale is the second largest animal on earth (next to the blue whale). As you can see, that's plenty big enough to swallow a man.
Hmm, a whale in the Mediterranean big enough to swallow a man. That reminds me of a story from a long time ago...

UPDATE - Here are some pictures from the internet (sorry about the watermark in the middle of some of the pictures).
UPDATE 2 - The pictures disappeared, here they are again.