• A humpback whale bounced onto a small fishing boat in a moment captured on video over the weekend.
  • The incident off the coast of Massachusetts did not result in any injuries or serious damage.
  • It was the second whale "bumping" encounter in the area in three days, local officials said. 

A humpback whale made waves over the weekend after jumping out of the water and landing on top of a small fishing boat in a remarkable moment captured on video.

The marine mammal made its move off the Massachusetts coast on Sunday, briefly submerging the bow of a 19-foot vessel with its weight.

Footage of the incident captured the humpback catapulting itself out of the water and landing with full force on the front of the boat, causing it to dip into the water before bouncing back up. The vessel was one of several similar-sized boats in the immediate area.

 

In a Sunday statement, a spokesperson for the town of Plymouth said nobody was injured in the encounter and reported minimal damage to the affected boat. Plymouth Harbormaster Chad Hunter told NBC10 Boston that the vessel was able to return to the boat ramp without any assistance.

"The boat was in the right place at the wrong time. This could have been much worse for all involved," Hunter told the outlet. "Children like to lean over the side of the boat to watch the fish so it is very lucky that nobody got hurt here. An incident like this is pretty rare but very dangerous to boaters."

One witness described the encounter as "insane." 

"I just saw the boat go freaking flying, it was crazy," Ryder Parkhurst told the station. "It was nuts. I couldn't believe the thing was still floating."

Just two days earlier, the area was home to yet another whale bumping incident. A paddle boarder on Friday recorded a whale bumping into a boat, sending the vessel rocking back and forth.

A recent abundance of bait fish in the region has attracted both large numbers of fishing boats and hungry whales looking to feed, WBTS Boston reported.

The town said the Plymouth Harbormaster Department reminded boaters to keep at least 100 yards of distance from whales to avoid "potential interactions."

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