Breaching Whale Smashes Fishing Boat in Wild Video

It was a breach unlike any other.

The waters off the New England coast are prime territory for whale watching. And while they can be a beautiful sight from afar, sometimes they aren't exactly gentle giants. 

New video out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire showed what happened when a small fishing boat came face to face with an angry whale underwater. In a shocking video circulating on social media, the marine mammal breaches and comes down on the boat, capsizing the vessel and sending its passengers into the ocean. 

The video was taken from another boat just a few dozen feet away by brothers Colin and Wyatt Yager of Maine. Upon seeing the eye-popping confrontation, the young fisherman on the boat dropped his rod and immediately got behind the wheel to get away.  

The identities of the boaters as well as the species of whale are yet to be determined. The waters off New Hampshire can be home to several types of whales including humpback, finback, minke, sei, pilot, right, and blue whales. 

"There is a pissed-off whale patrolling the waters off Portsmouth, New Hampshire today," an X post of the video read. "Head on [a] swivel if you’re out there."

There is a pissed off whale patrolling the waters of Portsmouth NH today. Head on swivel if you’re out there pic.twitter.com/xQPIHs8ZjN

— Ryan Whitney (@ryanwhitney6) July 23, 2024

It certainly wouldn't be the only recent example of an angry whale. Last year and earlier this year, orcas off the coast of Gibraltar were famously butting into boats in the area. The latest incident in New Hampshire could be another instance of whales seemingly fighting back against humans in their home.