A boat belonging to the American company Anchor Charter Boats came so close to the grey whale that the crew allowed tourists to touch the animal.

Axar.az informs citing ABC news.

Environmental experts say that the organizers of the tour violated a federal law banning people from approaching marine mammals closer than 92 meters. A whale can strike or kill a tourist with just a swish of the tail. "I'm shocked, to put it mildly. This, of course, is the fault of the organizers. The company should be aware that for such violations, it can be fined 25 thousand dollars or lose the ship," said representative for the Center for Biological Diversity Steve Jones. The tourists now face prison or a fine of 10 thousand dollars.