This was published 9 years ago
Photo of man on phone missing rare humpback whale sighting goes viral
By Mark Molloy
An oblivious man missed a once-in-a-lifetime whale-watching encounter - as he was too engrossed in his mobile phone.
Photographer Eric Smith captured the moment the unidentified man missed the amazing sight of the breaching humpback whale and posted it online.
It surfaced just a few feet from the sailing boat spotted near Redondo Beach in California.
Mr Smith said he captured five photos of the man staring down at his screen as the whale appeared.
He uploaded the picture on Instagram with the caption: "A sign of the times."
The snapper added: "Hey dude! Stop texting. There's an enormous humpback whale two feet from your boat!"
Well apparently my photo has gone viral.
He later told CBS News: "A small private sailboat manoeuvred really close to the whales, and this guy on it was literally sitting in that position and never moved.
"He could have been texting his mum in the hospital for all I know, but I thought it sucked that he missed such a wonderful moment happening just two feet in front of him.
"We're all guilty being buried in our phones, even me. You think life is better on your phone, but we're missing what's happening around us."
The Telegraph, London
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