Huge humpback whale launches itself onto boat in ‘dangerous’ and ‘rare’ incident

A humpback whale was caught on camera breaching the water and landing on top of a boat in a "rare" and "dangerous" incident.

The incredible scene took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, last Sunday morning, as the beast smashed onto the bow of the 19-feet-long boat, to the shock of onlookers.

It happened a few hundred yards from Manomet Point, a popular place for whales to feed.

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The Plymouth harbourmaster has now urged sailors to remain at least 100 yards away from whales to avoid further accidents.

“This interaction, while rare, is a reminder that these interactions can be dangerous for both boaters and whales,” read a statement from the Plymouth Harbormaster Department.

Luckily nobody was injured in the incident and the fishing boat only sustained slight damage.

"The boat was in the right place at the wrong time. This could have been much worse for all involved," Plymouth Harbormaster Chad Hunter told NBC10 Boston.

"Children like to lean over the side of the boat to watch the fish so it is very lucky that nobody got hurt here. An incident like this is pretty rare but very dangerous to boaters," he added.

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While a popular spot for whales, there were also many fishing boats there on Sunday morning due to there being plenty of bait fish.

One onlooker said he couldn’t believe the boat was still floating after the whale flopped off its bow.

"All of a sudden, full breech, ten feet out of the water, slams on top of this 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," he said.

"It was insane, the guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s all."

The non-profit Whale & Dolphin Conservation said in a statement Monday (July 25): "It is important to remember that vessel strikes not only can harm the whale but also be dangerous to humans and vessels as well. It is vital to stay at least 100 yards away from whales to minimize any potential interactions."

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