Yahoo News Whale Lands on Fishing Boat While Breaching Off Mass. Shore in Shocking Video: 'Very Dangerous'
A humpback whale fell on top of a fishing vessel Sunday after breaching off the shore of a popular Massachusetts beach.
The 19-foot boat was floating in the area of White Horse Beach when the whale leaped out of the water and landed on the watercraft, according to a post shared Sunday on the Town of Plymouth's Facebook page.
Video of the incident shows the whale launching itself into the air, with several boats surrounding the vessel that was ultimately struck. The impacted boat did not capsize, however.
No one was injured as a result of the stunning event, Plymouth officials said. The boat, meanwhile, was not seriously damaged.
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Plymouth Harbormaster Chad Hunter told NBC Boston that the situation "could have been much worse for all involved."
Town of Plymouth, MA/Facebook Images of the whale incident
"Children like to lean over the side of the boat to watch the fish so it is very lucky that nobody got hurt here," he explained. "An incident like this is pretty rare but very dangerous to boaters."
Hunter did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Photos shared by Plymouth show the damage caused by the whale's impact with the boat.
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Ryder Parkhurst, who witnessed the "crazy" occurrence, described the sight to NBC Boston. He said he "couldn't believe the [boat] was still floating" after it was whacked by the whale.
Town of Plymouth, MA/Facebook The boat impacted by the whale
"All of a sudden, full breach, 10 feet out of the water, slams on top of his guy's boat," he recalled, "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."
"It was insane," he continued, "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."
A harbormaster boat "responded to check on the vessel occupants," according to the town.
Interactions between boats and whales are indeed "rare," according to the town.
"The Plymouth Harbormaster Department recommends a distance of at least 100 yards to minimize potential interactions with whales," officials said in Sunday's Facebook post.
"This interaction, while rare, is a reminder that these interactions can be dangerous for both boaters and whales," they added.
