Humpback Rams Whale Watching Boat - A group of whale watchers enjoyed what is arguably the most memorable whale encounter ever after their inflatable vessel got knocked by a humpback whale that they had been watching off the coast of Maui, Hawaii last week.
According to Jennifer Nap, who recorded a priceless footage of the incident, they had been tracking the mother humpback from a distance before it turned on them and proceeded to ram into their boat. The tour guides are reported to have momentarily stopped the 25-foot watching boat to allow the tourists hear the whale 'song' through a hydrophone, when the animal turned on them.
The humpback whale slaps its massive pectoral fins as it heads for the boat. One of the tourists can be heard shouting "This is awesome" shortly after the impact.
"As soon as she was done pushing us aside she dove under, then popped right back up on the other side with her calf," Jennifer, who was on the trip with her husband Ryan Nap, explained.
Nap has noted that the humpback ramming into their watching vessel may have been to warn them to move, but experts say this is highly unlikely. Humpback whales are known to trumpet and use their tail fins to register their anger. Instead, experts say the humpback may have been completely oblivious about the presence of the vessel before it bumped into it.
"It is most likely that this mom was distracted with her calf and keeping another eye on a escort that was being a little irritating for the female," said Lee James, the CEO of Ultimate Whale Watch, who organized the trip.
Since the Naps uploaded the video of their humpback whale encounter, it has gone viral. Experts say the chances of a humpback whale encounter are statistically higher in the winter months, when the whales flock to the waters of Hawaii and the Pacific in to breed.
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