Two crewmembers off San Diego who thought they were watching whales at a safe distance last Wednesday were sorely mistaken when one of the whales got so close that it capsized the boat, CBS affiliate KFMB-TV reported.
The blue whales were apparently feeding on krill about 12 miles from the coast when one of the whales struck the 23-foot long boat and flipped it over, dumping passengers Cici Sayer and Dale Frink into the water. Another boater in the area was able to help the stranded victims to safety, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
Captain Sayer, a veteran whale-watcher, said the blue whale charged towards the boat with its mouth wide open.
"It just came down. I literally thought it was going to take a bite out of the back of the boat," Sayer told KFMB-TV.
Photographer Frink sprang into action as the boat began to tilt, grabbing his camera to capture the wild moment.
"I said to myself, 'Dale, just do what you can, keep yourself safe, but if you can save that camera, save the camera!" Frink, who runs the blog DaleFrink.com, told the station.
U.S. Coast Guard arrived at the scene after the incident was reported at around 12 p.m. A commercial salvage boat was sent to flip the boat back into position. The mighty blue whale that caused the incident swam off.
With the exception of minor bruises the two passengers were unharmed, the station reported.
Frink wrote on his blog that Sayer did not intend for the accident to happen and that it's rare for whale-watching boats to be flipped over by the animals.
"I cannot stress enough that the Captain was doing her best NOT to get too close to these animals, and that she did her best to follow proper procedure," Frink wrote.
"My phone is at the bottom of the ocean as I write this, hopefully some overzealous fish doesn't burn through all of my data," he added.
