Boat swamped by whale, St. Stephen, N.B.

On Saturday August 21, 2010, District 1 RCMP responded to a call reporting that a small boat capsized when a whale a swam underneath the vessel. There were five people aboard the boat, which was out on the water observing a pod of whales in Passamaquoddy Bay near Campobello Island.

All five people, at least four of whom were adults, were thrown overboard into the water. Fortunately, the crew of a nearby sardine fishing vessel saw what had occurred and provided an immediate response, recovering all of the passengers and returning them safely to shore, where emergency services were waiting to provide an assessment. Two of the boaters were transported to the Charlotte County Hospital in St. Stephen to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.

At the time of this incident, personal floatation devices were available but were not being worn.