Watch: Whale Off New Hampshire Collides with Fishing Boat, Tossing Men into the Atlantic
Watch: Whale Off New Hampshire Collides with Fishing Boat, Tossing Men into the Atlantic
A whale mid-breach struck a small boat off New Hampshire, causing the vessel to capsize and hurling two fishermen overboard in seconds.
Colin and Wyatt Yager, teenage brothers from Maine on a nearby vessel, shared the footage on social media Tuesday. According to Seacoastonline, part of the USA TODAY Network, the video has been widely reposted, garnering over four million views and hundreds of comments. The caption warns area residents to beware of a “pissed-off whale” patrolling the waters of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “Head on a swivel if you’re out there,” it reads.
The teens "swiftly rescued" both fishermen after their boat capsized off Odiorne Point in Rye, New Hampshire, U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Diolanda Caballero told Seacoastonline.
Initially, Wyatt Yager wasn’t worried about the whale, explaining to Seacoastonline that all boats stayed along the edge of the school of fish to allow the whale to feed. However, the whale got too close, causing the vessel to tip over.
"I was just in shock. Everyone else had the same reaction and tried to get over to those people," he said. "It was like, 'Oh shoot,' and then, 'We’ve got to go help these people.' All the boats dropped what they were doing to assist."
Neither the men thrown into the ocean nor the whale were injured, Caballero said.
The Coast Guard learned of the capsized vessel Tuesday morning in Rye, a few miles northeast of Portsmouth, Seacoastonline reported. The teens were fishing for menhaden, also known as "pogies," around 7 a.m.
An hour later, the whale crashed into Greg Paquette and Ryland Kenney's boat, launching both men into "fight or flight mode" after they were thrown into the water, Seacoastonline reported.
“I heard a big crackle,” Kenney told the newspaper. "When that happened … the bow tipped up, and I went to the left. As the boat was rolling over, I kind of jumped off horizontally to avoid the whale and the boat.”
The last thing Paquette saw before being thrown into the water was the whale's head, which slammed down on the boat's engine.
“Then I saw the whole stern become inundated with water, and I thought, ‘Oh no. We’re going down. We’re going to sink now,’” Paquette told Seacoastonline. They managed to swim away from the swamped boat in seconds and became very tired after the initial "energy and adrenaline" wore off. "It's been an emotional day," Paquette said.
The men stayed in the Yagers' boat for about 15 minutes before the brothers transferred them to a nearby friend's vessel until the Coast Guard arrived, according to Wyatt Yager. Paquette and Kenney were then transported to the Great Cove Boat Club in Eliot, Maine.
Both men were in the water for less than two minutes before being rescued by 19-year-old Wyatt and 16-year-old Colin.
"We’re glad they took such quick action," Paquette said. "They didn’t even think about it. We’re really grateful to both of them."
While the whale made a big splash, Colin Yager’s reaction to the “breach” has gained the most attention.
Multiple people commented on Colin’s quick instincts. “Kid's like ‘I want to go home now,’" one user wrote. Another added: “That kid had the right idea lol turned around and was ready to book it.”
Daisy Evans commented that the “incredible scene” was the result of “unfortunate timing,” noting that the whale was breaching under a school of baitfish next to the boat. “You can actually see dozens of fish pouring out of its mouth as it impacts the boat. The whale was not attacking,” she wrote.
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