Whale Strikes Yacht, Person on Board 'Flies'... Dazzling Accident Video Spreads

Whale-Human Collision Accidents Occur Frequently
Recently, Orcas Have 'Attacked' Boats

A whale collided with a yacht off the coast of New Hampshire in the northeastern United States. The impact nearly capsized the yacht, and a person inside was even thrown into the sea. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but it was a major accident that could have resulted in loss of life.

A giant whale attacking a ship [Image source=YouTube capture]

KHOU, a local news outlet of the US CBS network, focused on the 'whale attack incident' that occurred off the northeastern coast on the 24th (local time). The footage was reportedly submitted by brothers Colin and Wyatt Jaeger, who were fishing off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

In the video, a massive whale rises above the white yacht and presses down on the stern with its body. The yacht, bearing the enormous weight of the whale all at once, rocked back and forth and nearly capsized. Due to the shock, one person inside the yacht cabin was thrown into the sea.

People bouncing away from the shockwave [Image source=YouTube capture]

Colin and Wyatt immediately rescued the person who fell into the sea. In an interview with local media, Wyatt said, "I was shocked to see the people on the yacht. Fortunately, they were all okay, and when we rescued them, they were smiling." He added, "It was a really crazy sight. Luckily, no one was injured, and the whale seems to be fine as well."

American netizens who saw the video reacted with comments such as, "This is why I don’t go to the sea," "The person who was thrown out must have experienced hell that day," and "I hope the whale wasn’t hurt either."

Whale and Vessel Collisions Occur Frequently… Orcas Known for 'Ambushing' Boats

The reason why this whale suddenly attacked the yacht has not yet been revealed. It is also unclear whether it was an intentional 'attack.' However, it is currently presumed that the accident likely occurred due to the whale’s and yacht’s paths coincidentally crossing.

In fact, 'traffic accidents' between massive whales and humans happen frequently. In September last year, a fishing boat collided with a humpback whale off the coast of Australia. One of the two crew members who were thrown into the sea in that accident ultimately died.

Orcas rushing at a yacht. In 2021, a pod of about 30 orcas was attacked while passing through the strait between Europe and Africa. [Image source=Yonhap News YouTube]

However, recently, whales have been unusually 'ambushing' boats more often. While not large whales, orcas?highly intelligent aquatic mammals that hunt in groups?are a representative example. In June 2022, the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science analyzed that cases of orcas attacking motor vessels have been increasing, especially along the Iberian coast.

The first attack occurred in May 2020, when a pod of orcas approached the boat’s stern like hunters and attacked the rudder. Since then, boat attacks among orcas in that region have reportedly become somewhat of a trend.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.