Reckless boater shown nearly running over humpback whales
Reckless boater shown nearly running over humpback whales
Pete Thomas, For The WinMon, July 6, 2026 at 3:47 PM UTC
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Footage captured this week at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia illustrates why boaters should watch their speed and pay close attention to what might be swimming in their paths.
The footage, captured by Robert Sarginson, shows the boater speeding through a small space separating a humpback whale and her calf – and momma whale reacting to the dangerous intrusion.
Humpback whales are currently migrating along the coast, passing the reef en route to mating and breeding grounds. Some, obviously, have calves.
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Sarginson wrote Sunday via Instagram:
"A mother and calf were surfacing regularly to breathe and had even been breaching shortly beforehand. This boat approached far too quickly and almost hit them. You can see the mother throw her tail toward the boat in what appears to be a defensive response."
Sarginson began his intro: "I received so many responses to this video I shared on my story yesterday. News crews, research teams, and many others wanted to share it, so I’m posting it here to help it reach a wider audience."
The footage should serve as a reminder to boaters anywhere along whale migration routes to exercise extreme caution. A vessel strike in this case could have been tragic for the boater as well as the unsuspecting whales.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Reckless boater nearly runs over migrating humpback whales
Source: “AOL Breaking”
