Eyewitnesses film: Humpback whale crashes into boat and catapults angler into the sea

Off the US coast of New Hampshire, two fishermen experienced a terrifying moment when a humpback whale capsized their boat. Near Portsmouth, the giant leapt out of the water with its mouth open and landed on the stern of the boat, which was around seven metres long. The boat tilted to one side, eventually tipped over and the two occupants fell into the water.

Video goes viral

Fortunately, the fishermen were rescued from the water unharmed. A nearby boat rushed to the rescue and brought the men ashore. The US Coast Guard praised the quick actions of the rescuers and emphasised that both the crew and the whale were unharmed. The event was reported by many different media outlets - one video went viral on social media. The video was recorded and posted by Colin Yager, who was travelling with his brother Wyatt near the scene of the accident and came to the aid of the men who had fallen overboard.

What experts say about the humpback whale collision

Experts, including biologist Sara Morris, head of the Shoals Marine Laboratory, believe it was an accident, as reported by Der Spiegel. The whale was probably hunting fish and simply overlooked the boat during the dive. Dianna Schulte from the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation confirmed that it was a juvenile whale that broke the surface of the sea in pursuit of schools of fish and accidentally hit the boat. She explained this to the US tabloid "New York Post".

Despite the unusual incident, experts warn against anthropomorphising animal behaviour. Despite its spectacular behaviour, the whale was not intentionally aggressive. The presence of the humpback whale, which normally stays about 25 kilometres from the coast, had attracted many onlookers in recent weeks. According to Schulte, the fishermen should have known better that a whale was nearby and should have been more careful.