Wyatt Yager tells FOX Weather it was an unbelievable scene when a whale jumped out of the waters off New Hampshire and smashed into a nearby fishing boat, flipping two brothers into the Atlantic.
Brothers Colin and Wyatt Yager of Maine were at the right place at the right time, allowing them to save two fishermen after a breaching whale capsized their boat.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, when Colin and Wyatt were out fishing off the New Hampshire coast. They were fishing for Atlantic menhaden, or a bait fish known as “pogies.”
Wyatt told FOX Weather that while he and his brother were out on the water, they saw a humpback whale swim close to them.
“We’ve never really seen one that close to shore, so we’re a bit like, dang, this is pretty cool!” Wyatt Yager said.
He noted that the animal then breached the surface and landed on the rear end of the boat, causing the vessel to capsize.
“It’s absolute chaos when it first starts,” he said. “Me and my brother were like ‘Did this really just happen?’”
Looped video showing the moment the whale landed on the boat.
(Colin Yager / TMX / FOX Weather)
Two fishermen were on the boat, and the video shows one of them falling overboard into the water. Wyatt said the boat then completely flipped over.
Wyatt Yager looks on as the whale lands on the fishing boat.
(Colin Yager / TMX)
He believes that the whale landed on the boat unintentionally, saying that it was trying to eat the same pogies he and his brother were fishing for.
“It just it came out of the water, and it must have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time, or the boat was too,” he said.
The rear end of the flipped-over vessel.
(Colin Yager / TMX / FOX Weather)
Wyatt and his brother then drove their boat to the flipped-over vessel, not considering that the whale could breach again and strike them.
“It didn’t cross my mind. Watching the video, it’s pretty scary. I’m surprised that didn’t cross my mind,” he said. “But in the moment it was just, ‘We just need to go help these guys.’ Didn’t really think much else.”
The two fishermen after being rescued by Colin and Wyatt Yager.
(Colin Yager / TMX / FOX Weather)
Upon rescuing the two fishermen, Wyatt said he was surprised to see how positive their mood was. He noted that they were happy and smiling.
He said other nearby fishermen also came over to help.
Meanwhile, Wyatt said the incident won’t deter him from fishing. Colin was already back out fishing Wednesday and Wyatt said he was planning to head back on the water Thursday.