Dramatic Video: Whale Flips Boat, Fishermen Rescued Unharmed

On July 23, a giant humpback whale landed on a small boat off the coast of New Hampshire, horrifically throwing two fishermen into the frigid waves. Emerging from the sea close to the boat, anchored half a mile off Portsmouth, the thirty-foot young whale flopped over with its head. Not sporting life jackets, the fishermen were tossed into the sea.

Ryan Whitney posted the X video with a message, “There is a pissed off whale patrolling the waters in Portsmouth NH today. If you are outside, head on swivel. Fortunately, no one was hurt; the US Coast Guard reported that a nearby fishing boat saved the crew. Experts emphasized that the occurrence was entirely accidental.

Co-founder and director of research for the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation Dianna Schulte clarified that the whale most likely was feeding when it surfaced. “Whales come up through schools of fish with their mouth wide open and may close their mouth just before or just after breaking the surface,” Schulte added. The boat was just in the wrong position at the wrong moment.

Schulte underlined that knowing a big whale was in the vicinity, the fishermen should have been more careful. She discounted the theory that the whale behaved maliciously. “Whales, when feeding on dense fish schools, can’t see through them and don’t know what’s above, especially on a cloudy day,” she said. The whale was unaware the boat was there.

Having spent thirty years researching whales, Schulte confirmed she had never witnessed a humpback whale purposefully strike a boat and underlined fishers should keep at least 100 yards away from these creatures.