Video footage captured the shocking moment that a humpback whale burst through the water in Massachusetts and landed facedown on an unsuspecting fisherman’s deck.
On Sunday at around 10am local time, Plymouth Harbormaster Chad Hunter says that the giant mammal was seen splashing around close to moored boats off the coast of White Horse Beach in Cape Cod Bay, according to NBC 10 Boston.
The 19-ft fishing vessel reportedly incurred a minimal amount of damage to the bow of the boat and was able to return to shore without the need of assistance.
There were two people onboard the vessel at the time of the big splash, and neither reported any injuries from the incident.
“The Plymouth Harbormaster Department recommends a distance of at least 100 yards to minimize potential interactions with whales,” said Plymouth officials in a Facebook post after the incident. “This interaction, while rare, is a reminder that these interactions can be dangerous for both boaters and whales.”
Witnesses who saw the splash unfold told NBC 10 that they’d never encountered a sight such as the one they were treated to on Sunday.
“All of a sudden, full breach, ten feet out of the water, slams on top of his guy’s boat, like his bow goes down, basically, into the water, engine out, full thing pops off, whale rolls over the side of it, totally fine, but his boat was messed up,” Ryder Parkhurst told the local news station.
“It was insane, the guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s all. Pops up, bang...right on the bow of the guy’s boat,” he said, adding that he “saw the boat go freaking flying, it was crazy.”
The Massachusetts Environmental Police are reportedly investigating the incident as well, according to WCVB.
The area where the breaching occurred on Sunday has become a hotspot for spotting humpback whales in recent weeks, with several sightings being reported over the last month.
Humpback whales, which can measure up to 55 ft and weigh up to 40 tonnes, pictured at this shoreline are oftentimes engaged in what’s called “lunge feeding.” The Whale & Dolphin Conservation group describes this as when the mammals bait fish by gulping large mouthfuls of water to corral fish into their mouths.
Just last week, a paddleboarder at Manomet Point, located just 1.5 miles down the beach from where the breaching occurred on Sunday, was treated to the sighting of a humpback whale bursting out of the water just metres away from where he stood.
"The thing comes out of the water, thing is like 25 ft in the air, there’s fish flying out of its mouth,” Michael Manfredi told WCVB last week. “It’s just amazing, it’s incredible. It’s just one of those moments you’ll never forget.”
The paddleboarder added that he “was so happy when I got home.” Fortunately, photographer Craig Picariello was nearby and managed to snap a picture of the pair on the water in the rare moment, helping cement the memory Mr Manfredi is likely to not forget to permanent art.
“He just seemed to be at the right place at the right time, so I kind of just followed him, and that’s where I got the pictures. It was crazy,” Mr Picariello told WCVB after snapping the iconic picture.
Humpback whales are found around the world, but the groups that are found frequenting the Massachusetts shores are part of the Western North Atlantic Humpback population. The mammals are classified as an Endangered species in Massachusetts, as there remain about 10,000, with 5,700 frequenting the western North Atlantic, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife.
The humpback whale, its food resources – such as shrimp-like crustaceans (krill) and small fish – and its habitat are all threatened by human-influenced factors, such as pollution, entanglement with fishing gear and crashing with fishing vessels.
