From a fish stabbing someone in the neck to whales dragging ships down, here are 10 amazing
moments a sea monster affected a boat….
10.
Great White Shark
If you’ve been on a boat out on the ocean, a Jaws attack has probably crossed your mind.
Even if it’s just barely!!
Then of course you rationalize that the chances of that happening are practically 0.
Practically.
That’s what Terry Selwood, a 73-year-old Australian fisherman learned in 2017, when
a great white shark leapt out of the water, into his boat!!
The 9-foot-long beast hit him on the arm as it landed, and knocked him back, then it started
writhing and thrashing about.
The quick-thinking fisherman immediately went for his radio to call for help, and when the
marine rescue unit arrived, they found a scene of carnage.
Selwood was covered in blood with numerous lacerations on his right forearm’ according
to the official statement, and they also found quote: ‘a large shark in the cabin of the
not so large fishing boat’.
Selwood went on to make a full recovery, but can you imagine a great white jumping at you
out of nowhere??
What was it thinking???
Next time Selwood goes out onto the water, he should probably use a bigger boat!
9.
An Eagle Ray
Rays seem like beautiful, serene creatures - but they can be extremely dangerous, even
if you’re on the relative safety of a large tourist boat.
In 2011, Jenny Hausch had rented a 26-foot catamaran for her family to take a trip in
Florida.
Sounds really nice right?
Or not, because you already know what this video is about!!
At first it was like any normal trip, but suddenly a 300-pound spotted eagle ray leapt
from the water and landed on the deck.
It hit Jenny, and knocked her down to the floor, pinning her down and its barb landed
right next to her.
Miraculously she didn’t suffer any injuries, though, and was just covered in slime.
Moments before the incident, they had taken a photograph of the ray as it was leaping
out of the water near them, before it jumped again and landed on the boat.
Luckily for those on board, two wildlife officers had sailed past at the time, and heard the
screams.
They were able to get onto the catamaran and lift the ray back into the water.
Eagle rays are huge, second only to the Manta Ray.
In 2008, a woman was killed by a 75-pound ray, also in Florida, when it flew out of
the water and hit her in the face.
She and the ray both died from the impact.
This species is well known for its ability to launch itself above the waves, and its
massive wingspan lets it glide through the air for a moment before landing with a flop.
Scientists aren’t completely sure why they do it, but it could be as a mating ritual,
to rid themselves of parasites or to escape predators.
Maybe even for fun!!
So anyway, eagle rays don’t attack boats on purpose, but geez, you have the whole ocean
to be jumping around with your 300-pounds!!
8.
Swordfish
In 2017, Alan Pope, a British tourist, was on a boat trip getting ready to go snorkeling
in Indonesia when everything went horribly wrong.
Without any warning, a swordfish jumped out of the water and into the boat, and impaled
his neck with its bill.
The end snapped off, and left six inches of the sword still jabbed inside his neck, just
millimeters from instantly killing him.
All of this came without any warning so there is NO WAY this freak accident could have been
avoided, unless you just never went out onto the ocean.
The bill of a swordfish is just as sharp as a kitchen knife and, with blood pouring out
from the wound, he was taken straight to hospital.
At first his wife and others on the boat thought he had been shot, since the injury was so
sudden and impactful.
It was another 36 hours, and 3-hospital visits later before doctors felt confident enough
to try to remove it.
No one saw the swordfish itself, and it’s thought to have fallen back into the water.
Luckily for Pope, it was a juvenile fish- something that can be determined because the
bill still had teeth on it, which swordfish lose once they grow larger than 3 feet.
If it had been an adult, it’s more than likely that he wouldn’t have survived to
tell the tale.
And now for number 7 but first be sure to subscribe!!
7.
Sperm Whales
The Gulf of Alaska is a prime fishing location, especially for those trying to catch black
cod.
In these waters, though, there is a much larger creature that also likes eating the fish-
sperm whales.
They are the ocean’s largest toothed predators, and while they are quite capable of catching
food for themselves, they much prefer taking the easy route.
They let the fishermen do all of the hard work, and just as they are about to haul the
catch onto the boats, the whales strike and steal them off the lines.
Smart!!
They use their long jaws to create extreme tension on the lines, which then snaps the
fish off the hooks and they can start eating them up!!
Not only does this take the prize catch away from the fishermen, but it also creates dangerous
conditions for the boats which are pulled off course by the immense power of the whales.
This behaviour was first noticed in the 1970’s, and as each season passes it becomes even
more common.
They have perfected their technique, and there are now far more whales in the region since
whaling has been banned.
It’s thought to cost the economy hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, and has
led to scientists being called in to try and develop techniques to stop it from happening.
Nature is fighting back!!
6.
Giant Squid
Mostly creatures of legend, giant squids are mentioned in many old mariners tales of dangers
at sea.
But they are rarely seen, let alone involved in attacking boats.
So when a team of French sailors came face to face with one in 2003, they almost didn’t
believe it!!
They were taking part in the Jules Verne Trophy, a sailing race around the world.
Several hours into their journey on that day, off the coast of the Portuguese island of
Madeira that lies to the west of Africa, they discovered that a giant squid had clamped
onto their hull.
Uncertain at first what was interfering with their steering, one of the sailors spotted
a tentacle through a porthole.
He described it as thicker than his leg, and pulling incredibly hard.
They then found that another 2 tentacles were blocking the rudder, which would explain why
they had difficulty in navigating.
Giant squid can grow to up to 60 feet long, and this one was estimated to be about 26
feet.
Without anything on board to help fend it off, they had no choice but to stop the boat,
and luckily for them it released its grip.
Giant squid?
Or maybe the Kraken!!
5.
Bull Shark
You might think that a great white shark would be the most problematic shark species to boats,
but there’s another type that can be more aggressive, and more likely to risk an encounter.
In 2007, Captain Roger Schmall and his crew were doing what they always did- they were
out on the shrimping boat off the coast of Florida catching shrimp.
Despite his many years of experience, nothing had prepared him for what he’d face on this
trip.
An unknown number of bull sharks took interest in the boat, and followed it for four days,
taking advantage of all the refuse that was being dropped into the water from the boat.
Pretty smart creatures huh?
You thought that a great white was bad?
Think again!!
Eventually the sharks became aggressive and started striking the hull.
Then, things got worse, and a giant 14 foot shark knocked the propeller from the ship,
and left the crew stranded and slowly sinking.
Fortunately they were able to radio for help, and were rescued just in time.
The sharks swim off to search for food elsewhere, and the captain managed to get his boat fixed,
and was back on the water within a matter of days.
No problem!
4.
Jellyfish
Sometimes it’s the smallest things that can have the biggest effect, something that
became ever so apparent in 2017 when Chinese scientists were investigating why their aircraft
carriers were experiencing difficulties.
They found that large swarms of Jellyfish were getting caught up in the propulsion systems!
This would stop the ships dead in their tracks, or cause the engines to overheat and cause
extreme damage.
The irony here is that the problem is of their own doing, because extreme overfishing, particularly
of sharks for shark fin soup, is causing the population of jellies around the world to
massively increase.
This has led to the need for various solutions, such as chemicals to kill them, or elaborate
devices that involve nets and sharp blades to slice the jellyfish to bits before they
can cause any damage.
However ridiculous this problem may seem, it’s not just warships that are being affected.
Power plants around the world are also having to take steps, because when large swarms of
jellyfish get sucked up through the saltwater intake pumps, big problems can occur.
3.
Mako Shark
This next story took place just last year, 2017 in Long Island, New York.
A fishing charter boat was taking guests to the location where they find the widest variety
of fish, when suddenly a Mako shark jumped onto the side of the boat.
Unfortunately for the fish, it managed to get itself stuck in the handrail of the boat
and, despite thrashing about, it couldn’t free itself.
The fishermen on board couldn’t find an easy way to release it either, so they came
up with an ingenious plan.
One of them tied a rope around the shark’s fin, while another kept its head facing towards
the water by getting a hook in its mouth.
They were then able to use the rope to lower the beast back into the water before cutting
it free to swim away.
Mako sharks, like this one, can grow to up to 12 feet long, and are incredibly powerful.
It was lucky these fishermen were able to think quickly and find a solution, otherwise
things could have gotten far more dangerous as the shark got more and more distressed.
Just think- if you found yourself in this situation, would you be brave enough to put
a hook into a stressed out shark’s mouth?
No, I didn’t think so!
2.
Black Marlin
Game fishing is a popular pastime for many enthusiasts, but when you’re chasing after
some of the largest and most powerful marine creatures on earth, you have to be ready for
the unpredictable.
Again last year, things went very wrong indeed for a fishing boat off the coast of Panama.
They had caught a black marlin, a species that can weight up to 1500 pounds and reach
speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.
On this occasion, the fish put up an almighty fight.
To try and help the situation, the captain put the boat in reverse to try and help reel
the line in (well, help the fishermen I mean because at this point the Marlin is fighting
for its life), but at this moment, a big wave came crashing over the side.
The water caused the captain to slip and, in the process, knock the reverse gear into
full throttle.
This caused the boat to lurch forward into the waves and, as you can see,
capsize.
Luckily for those on board, all were rescued without any injury- but it’s definitely
an experience they won’t forget in a hurry.
1.
Killer Whale
If you’ve ever watched a nature documentary that’s featured Killer Whales, you’ll
be all too familiar how organised and clever they can be.
Pods work together to catch prey, and even tilt ice flows to trap seals.
When they turn these skills towards human activity, the results can be frightening.
In 2017, Victor Littlefield had taken his 14-year-old son and two of his friends on
a fishing trip near Little Birka island off the coast of Alaska.
At first things were calm, but then the boat began to rock from side to side.
At first Littlefield thought they were being attacked by a shark, but the familiar shape
of an Orca soon became visible in the water as it swam in to ram the boat.
Somehow it managed to grab hold of the anchor and used it to pull on the boat, and the tension
caused almost made it capsize.
Luckily, the line broke and the Killer Whale swam off with the anchor.
Littlefield’s quick thinking of attaching a buoy to the line meant that he was able
to retrieve it once the Orca had let go, and they were able to return home without any
injury.
There’s no record of an Orca killing a human in the wild before, but if incidents like
this happen again, it’s quite possible there could be more and more confrontations.
Thanks for watching, have you ever had a scary experience at sea?