PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) – Boaters and whale watchers in Massachusetts got a surprise over the weekend when a humpback whale breached and landed on the bow of a 19-foot boat.
The operator of the vessel reported no injuries or damage affecting the vessel’s seaworthiness, according to officials in Plymouth, Cape Cod Bay.
Several boats were around the whale on Sunday when it made the leap. Video footage shows him throwing his body out of the water and his head hitting the front of a boat, tipping the back of the boat out of the water as it slid into the ocean.
Humpback whales can grow up to 62 feet long and weigh up to 53 tons. They are popular with whale watchers for their acrobatic displays, including spectacular breaches in which they launch their school bus-sized bodies completely out of the water and slap the surface with their pectoral fins or tails.
Plymouth’s harbormaster said collisions like the one in Plymouth are rare and can be dangerous for both boaters and whales. The harbor master recommends that boaters stay at least 100 meters away from humpbacks to minimize these encounters.