Whale capsizes boat: Humpback whale slams into fishing boat with two sailors on board and capsizes it off New Hampshire coast
A humpback whale has capsized a small fishing boat off the coast of New Hampshire with two frightened sailors on board.
A video shared on social media showed the large mammal breaching through the waters off the coast of Portsmouth in America on Tuesday (23 July). In the footage, captured by Colin Yager, the animal can be seen bringing its snout down on the rear of the small vessel sending the two people onboard into the water.
The boat can be seen floating on the water on its side before it starts to submerge and flip over. Another clip shows the boat being towed by another fishermen nearby who captured the whole scene.
It is understood that everyone onboard escaped without injury. Users have been commenting on the clip, one person said: “This is crazy - whales don't do that by accident.” Another added: “This is insane to watch”.
According to WGME, the humpback, which is believed to be about two years old. has been spotted around the Maine and New Hampshire border over the last week. This is close to where the whale was filmed off Portsmouth.
It is unclear what prompted the humpback to breach next to the the boat. Humpbacks are generally considered gentle, although people who choose to swim with them are potentially at risk of being struck by the animal's tail if they end up swimming into a blind spot. Dianna Schulte of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation told WGME: “We're hoping it leaves the area soon. There have been a lot of menhaden, which is a type of small bait fish, in the river recently. So likely, it was coming into the river just looking for some food.”