CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Whale slams into boat outside Moriches Inlet
The boaters saw the whale 300 yards away eating on a pod of bunker fish.
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A fishing trip off Long Island turned into a close encounter with a humpback whale Saturday afternoon when the animal collided with a boat near Moriches Inlet.
Steven Heid, of Plainview, said he, his father-in-law and his nephew were fishing west of Fire Island when they spotted a humpback whale a few hundred yards away.
"We purposely wanted to stay away from it. You got to be careful, especially around bunker pods. These whales are feeding," Heid said.
Heid said the whale then began moving toward their boat. He said he shut off the engine and remained stationary to avoid injuring the animal with the propeller, but the whale continued approaching.
Moments later, the whale slammed into the vessel.
Oliver Samter, Heid's nephew, managed to capture the encounter on video.
"I was like, 'Holy cow, what just happened?'" Samter said.
Samter said everything unfolded in a matter of seconds.
"I thought we might be going down, but the boat was OK, the whale was OK. It was just crazy," he said.
The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society says the incident underscores the importance of New York's Whale Awareness Act, which requires boaters to stay at least 300 feet away from whales. Robert DiGiovanni, the organization's executive director and chief scientist, said Heid appeared to follow proper safety procedures by stopping the boat when the whale approached.
DiGiovanni said Long Island waters are home to whales, dolphins and other marine wildlife, and boaters should always make every effort to observe animals responsibly while minimizing their impact.
The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society encourages the public to report whale sightings to sightings@amseas.org and report distressed marine mammals or sea turtles to the New York State Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829.
