PLYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - New video on just one station shows first-hand footage of the moment a humpback whale jumped onto the bow of a boat off the coast of Plymouth.
Although no one was hurt in the incident, including the six commercial fishermen on board, the footage shows just how close the encounter was. The clip shows a school of fish leap out of the water, trying to escape the whale. Next, the giant whale, perhaps a juvenile as heavy as a dozen elephants, hit the bow of the boat, briefly pulling it underwater.
The small boat was able to get back to shore despite the whack. Though 7NEWS found the boat parked in a Plymouth driveway, no one on the boat or at the house would speak with the station.
The family did post a description of what happened online:
“After landing the last fish at 9:38 a.m., our friend suggested we have something to eat and lucky we did. The men fishing from the bow came down and we were just idling along, making sandwiches and it happened,” they said. “We’re all very lucky, no injuries, minor damage to the boat and… we all felt bad for the whale, wrong place at the wrong time for all of us. We got bumped around but went on to live another day.”
7NEWS also received a heavily redacted police report from the Mass. Environmental Police about the incident, which said an anchor was damaged, the hatch was destroyed and the bow railings were bent, but overall, it did not sustain much damage.
“We are advising recreational fishermen and people in the area to give the whales space. We ask that you give them at least 100 feet, more is better, to give them their space,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration member Allison Ferreria. “These whales are unpredictable, they’re large animals, easily disturbed, and we wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
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