PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A whale breached and landed on the bow of a boat Sunday off a popular beach in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
A Facebook post from the town said the whale came out of the water and hit a small 19-foot vessel in the water off White Horse Beach. No one was injured according to reports.
A Harbormaster boat assigned to the area to watch for any potential violations of the Marine Mammal Act responded to check on the vessel occupants, said officials.
The boat's operator reported no injuries and no major damage that affected the seaworthiness of the vessel.
Humpback whales can grow up to 62-feet long and weight up to 53 tons.
They are popular with whale watchers because of their acrobatic displays – including spectacular breachings capable of launching their school bus-sized bodies entirely out of the water and slapping the surface with their pectoral fins or tails.
At the time of Sunday's incident, several boats were around the whale in Plymouth.
Video footage from the scene shows the animal launching its body out of the water and its head slamming onto the front of a nearby boat, tipping the rear of the vessel out of the water as it slid back into the Atlantic Ocean.
Local authorities forwarded all information to the Massachusetts Environmental Police to handle the investigation into the incident.
Photos showed a broken glass hatch in the boat.
Officials said that while this type of incident is rare, it can be dangerous for both boaters and whales. For more information on how to boat safely around whales, head to this website.
White Horse Beach is just south of the recently decommissioned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The beach in that area is open to the public.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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