Humpback whale nearly capsizes Paul Ziolkowski's boat

Posted by Lorie Orum on Saturday, May 18, 2024

This footage captures the staggering moment a humpback whale appears to very nearly capsize a boat.

Captured by Paul Ziolkowski, from Union Beach, New Jersey - who was fishing on a nine-foot vessel in the New York harbour - it sees the mammal's enormous head lurch from the ocean and open its jaws just inches from the side of the boat.

The whale, capable of growing to 60-ft in length - that's more than six times the length of Mr Ziolkowski's boat - had been tailing them in the lead-up to its jump.

The footage was captured by Paul Ziolkowski, who was fishing on a nine-foot vessel in the New York harbour (pictured)

The footage was captured by Paul Ziolkowski, who was fishing on a nine-foot vessel in the New York harbour (pictured)

Writing on Facebook about the footage, Mr Ziolkowski stated: 'Still in shock from this guy almost capsizing us.'

He later added: 'This definitely was one of the craziest experiences in my life and I've had many.

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'That humpback was chasing bunker [a type of fish] all the way up to the side, jumped out of the water and tapped the hull [...] knocking bunker into the boat.'

Others on the boat can be heard yelling and cursing following the heart-stopping moment, in which no-one was harmed. 

Suddenly, the mammal's enormous head lurches from the ocean as it snaps its jaws just inches from the side of the boat

Suddenly, the mammal's enormous head lurches from the ocean as it snaps its jaws just inches from the side of the boat

The whale, pictured crashing back dwon again, had been tailing them in the lead-up to its jump The species is capable of growing to 60-ft in length - that's more than six times the length of Mr Ziolkowski's boat

The whale, capable of growing to 60-ft in length - that's more than six times the length of Mr Ziolkowski's boat - had been tailing them in the lead-up to its jump

The humpback was chasing bunker (pictured), a type of fish, all the way up to the side when it jumped out of the water and tapped the hull, knocking bunker into the boat

The humpback was chasing bunker (pictured), a type of fish, all the way up to the side when it jumped out of the water and tapped the hull, knocking bunker into the boat

The video swiftly went viral and has garnered nearly 150,000 views on Facebook since June 23.

While it may appear to have been a close call, humpbacks have highly sophisticated navigational abilities and rarely hit boats accidentally. 

There have been instances in which mothers have nudged vessels which they have deemed threatening to a calf, but these remain rare.

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