A 'huge' sperm whale collided with a 52-foot yacht in the South Pacific, sinking the vessel and leaving its four-person crew stranded in a life raft for nearly 17 hours. The crew, which included two Australian nationals, a New Zealander and a French national, was ultimately rescued.
The scary incident took place about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island when the emergency services were alerted that the Australian vessel Tai Tam was "taking on water after hitting a whale".
As per a press release by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), the crew members reported the collision happened without warning on a clear, calm afternoon.
NZDF also shared a video of the moment they were saved.
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What had happened?
Australian sailor Jemma Cooper was at the helm when the vessel suddenly jolted sideways from a massive impact.
"There was a thud. We knew we'd been hit by something," she told the BBC News.
"I was thrown over to port side because of the impact... there were, like, six of them. One to two huge ones; they were as long as the boat."
Below deck, her husband Jeremy Cooper and crewmate Terry Hetherington woke up to a deafening thud as, according to local reports, the force knocked the steering controls completely dead.
Watch the rescue video here:
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Looking overboard, the crew spotted a pod of six to eight sperm whales surrounding their vessel. One of the giant mammals had apparently struck the yacht's hull.
When the seawater started rushing into the cabin, the crew immediately sent out a Mayday call and activated their emergency locator beacons.
They even tried to throw the water out of the vessel using buckets and pumps, but the damaged boat started to sink. The four crew members eventually deployed their inflatable life raft and stepped off the yacht.
Here's how they were rescued
The distress signal alerted rescue coordinators in New Zealand, who dispatched a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft to locate the floating raft.
All four sailors were safely hauled aboard the cargo ship. The report mentioned that they didn't sustain any injuries.
"This was a well-coordinated and executed rescue, and I'd like to thank our partners at the New Zealand Defence Force for their assistance, along with the assistance of JRCC Australia and MRCC Noumea who provided support. Our thanks also extend to crew of the MV SOFRANA SURVILLE and a private sailing vessel who effected the rescue," Mike Clulow, the rescue coordination centre operations manager, said.
"The crew of the yacht did all the right things, and it was unfortunate to have struck a whale in open water. They were well prepared and the early activation of their EPIRB was key to helping get them to safety. It is an excellent reminder that being prepared when going to sea can save your life."
