User talk:Phil Karp

June 2015
Please do not add or change content, as you did at Minke whale‎, without citing a reliable source. Please review the guidelines at Citing sources and take this opportunity to add references to the article. ''Please read Identifying reliable sources. Saying "I know it" is original research, which is not permitted.'' Joseph2302 (talk) 23:35, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for your message. I'm not sure what you would consider a "reliable source" in this case. I personally swam with 2 Minke Whales (mother and calf) on the outer part of Flynn Reef on May 30. They approached our dive boat when we were just finishing a dive and stayed near the boat from more than 45 minutes when we re-entered the water with snorkels, making numerous passes directly under the boat, with the mother turning her body to look directly at us on each pass. The dive operator (who has been running dive trips to the area for 5+ years) indicated that this is common behavior during June/July, although 45 minutes was a long time for the whales to remain near the boat. Would it be acceptable to say "These tourism operators report that the whales frequently remain close to boats for periods of 30 minutes or more and appear to enjoy interacting with humans...."