ocean

It only takes a couple of good nature documentaries to realize that whales are majestic creatures. Their size and grace is unmatched by almost anything else on planet earth, let alone  in the ocean. That said, they're not exactly the most approachable of animals and it can't always be a fun experience being up close and personal with them. 

This is what one anonymous woman found out in a video that has recently gone viral. Lounging in the sea outside a small boat, a huge whale suddenly leaps out of the water only feet in front of her and makes terrifying sounds before she jumps up back to safety. Despite the potentially trauma inducing event and the horrified reaction of many social media users, she seems happy to have been able to have the encounter with the creature. It also could have gone a lot worse — at least she was lucky to avoid being swallowed.

As anyone who is not living under a rock is aware, this weekend saw part of the Gulf of Mexico set on fire. An underwater gas leak engulfed part of a pipeline in flames, taking more than five hours to put out and providing the world with the startling image of two opposing compounds at war with one another.

Naturally, the internet decided that such an eye-catchingly dystopian event was the ideal springboard for a smorgasbord memes of varying degrees of derangement. After all, what use is the planet burning if you can't get a few likes out of it? 

While the blaze is now reportedly under control, the footage remains an unsettling reminder of how much modern society has managed to screw up the environment, as well as a touchstone for anybody looking for their five minutes of Twitter fame. As a wise dog in a hat once said, this is fine.