About Melissa

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A few years ago on a beautiful September morning I was ready for another scuba adventure.... my goal that day was to photograph some humpback whales in the bay of Monterey, CA. 

The conditions that day were prime: a calm, shimmering blue ocean and the sound of sea lions echoed through the air. Once out at sea, just a few miles off shore from Point Piños in Pacific Grove, Captain Curtis– friend to the other 3 of us aboard his 23' motorboat– had me move to the bow and prepare to drop anchor. 

While we were finding our location, a paddle boarder we passed on our way was now passing us! "Where is he going?" I asked. As I looked out ahead of the paddle boarder, there they were! Just 3 miles off-shore, we spotted 2 whale watching boats. With excitement, we motored in their direction and let the boat idle at least 200 yards away from the action. The whale watching boats are hardly ever on our side of the bay!

We watched in amazement as 4 gigantic humpbacks lunge fed on anchovies; it was like watching nature in symphony! The whales had their very own natural prelude of sea lions and seagulls. All of a sudden, there was a parting of the sea! As the anchovies swirled just below the surface, it was a cue for all of them to get out of the way. First the sea lions moved, then the birds flew.... and UP came the whales! We must have been there for a good half-hour and I caught some great footage on my phone. However, less than 30 minutes later, I ended up losing it.

Curtis seemed to be on a schedule. I only say so, because the boat picked up speed once far enough away from the activity of the breaching whales. He said there were thousands of anchovies 400 feet below the boat and as we moved onwards, I saw whales everywhere! I counted at least 10 in every direction, near and far... I even saw one dive toward us from the right and I was anxiously anticipating it to come up again right near us. 

My eyes were scanning every-which-way and when I glanced straight ahead of the bow, they stopped. I'm certain that I must have looked like a deer in headlights. Up from the depths, the whale surfaced – just enough for it to go back down. Its hump was straight before the bow, just 4 feet away. I had no time to move -- I lunged to my feet, shouted "Whale" and I grabbed tight to the boat rail on my left for support. 

It was like hitting a brick wall. All I remember was seeing lights out (pitch black) and hearing some loud bangs... I saw light and rainbows, and there were some voices – I didn't recognize the voice that spoke to me. It was very deep, and it told me to Slow Down -- it was a rather serious tone.. I remember feeling protected, like angels were around me. I also remember being given a second chance at life, if that's what I wanted. It was my choice to make.

I awoke to Curtis' voice saying my name over and over again, and then he was asking if I was okay. I ended up hitting the windshield with my skull, breaking the glass and there was a lot of blood. The boat was not damaged, except for that. The whale got a scratch, but he was 6 tons and we were 1 ton, so we were all lucky. Everyone else onboard got bruised up, but nothing serious. They didn't know what happened because no one saw the whale but me.

We got back to shore quickly and I was grateful for the calm seas. My arm was dangling off the side of the boat along the way and I couldn't move it nor could I feel it. I thought I dislocated my shoulder. A helicopter and an ambulance were waiting for me and the Monterey Fire Department was there to help get me off the boat. 

I sustained 14 injuries and I was at the Trauma Hospital in Salinas for about 30 days. My jaw broke when I fell back through the windshield, which took 5 weeks to repair and my mouth was wired shut the entire time. The worst injury was that my nerves got severely stretched from my neck all the way down my left arm, hand and fingers. It’s called a Brachial Plexus Injury (BPI) and it's extreme nerve damage that happens when the arm gets pulled super hard – this usually happens in motorcycle accidents. All the nerves leading from the top of the spine get super-stretched, or totally break, and it causes a type of paralysis. 

Sometimes the nerves repair themselves, sometimes not. The body is miraculous and can heal itself in many ways. So far, I'm hopeful that I'll get 85% recovery. Currently, it's fairly steady at 65%. It’s been a life-changing injury and a challenge for sure, but I am strong and remain positive nonetheless. Laughter, Gratitude and Joy are my saving grace. 🐋💦