RYE, N.H. — A seemingly magical moment turned into a close call when a whale breached and crashed onto a boat in Portsmouth Harbor. Fortunately, everyone onboard escaped unharmed, but it was a harrowing experience for the group.
The incident occurred on a Tuesday morning as two brothers from Eliot, Maine, Colin, 16, and Wyatt Yager, 19, were enjoying a leisurely fishing trip off the coast of Rye, New Hampshire. Suddenly, a gigantic whale breached near their boat, catching the brothers by surprise.
One of the brothers recounted the intense moment when he spotted the whale going up while holding his fishing rod and phone in hand. The force of the breach caused chaos on the boat, leading to one of the passengers being pushed under the vessel. Miraculously, they managed to resurface quickly without any injuries.
Despite the boat nearly tipping over from the impact, the Yager brothers sprang into action to assist everyone in getting out of the water safely. The U.S. Coast Guard later disclosed that they had received a MAYDAY signal twice from the distressed boat.
After assessing the situation, a USCG crew from Portsmouth confirmed that the whale appeared unhurt by the encounter. Following standard procedures, the Center of Coastal Studies Marine Animal Hotline and NOAA were both alerted to the unusual incident in Portsmouth Harbor.