An 18-foot minke whale died after colliding with a boat in Barnegat Bay on Saturday, officials said.
An 18-foot minke whale died after colliding with a boat in Barnegat Bay on Saturday, officials said.
The incident occurred in the bay in the north end of Long Beach Island, not far from the High Bar Harbor neighborhood.
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WATCH HEREVideo obtained by NBC10 showed the moment the whale crashed into the boat, knocking a woman overboard and nearly tipping the boat over.
Boat Captain Charlie Nunn said the incident was a freak accident not caused by antagonizing the whale, and that the woman is lucky she was not hurt.
"Definitely a close call, a freak accident," Nunn said. "They were certainly not antagonizing it in any way. I think they were in that area prior to the whale going through there."
Nunn also said the forceful collision was likely caused by the whale getting anxious and going into fight-or-flight mode.
"They're not supposed to be in three feet of water," Nunn said. "They keep bumping into something, it's probably fight-or-flight for the poor thing."
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According to the Marine Mammal Standing Center, the whale was dead before they arrived at the scene.
