Whale sinks yacht in South Pacific, sailors rescued alive 18 hours later
Four sailors were rescued after their yacht was sunk by a pod of sperm whales in the remote South Pacific. The crew managed to send a mayday signal and survive for 18 hours before being located by a Royal New Zealand Air Force patrol plane.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the dangers of maritime travel in remote regions and the effectiveness of international search and rescue coordination.
A sperm whale cracked the hull of a yacht sailing in the remote South Pacific, forcing four sailors into a day-and-night fight for survival on the high seas. Crew members on the 52-foot Tai Tam told AFP on Thursday of their weekend encounter with a pod of sperm whales 250 nautical miles north of tiny Norfolk Island. "There was sort of a loud thud. The whole boat was pushed sideways," said Australian Jemma Cooper, who was thrown from the steering wheel by the force of the blow. Not knowing at first what had happened, she noticed a brown discoloration in the water and a sperm whale. "We looked out to our port side, and there were six to eight, a pod, of whales there. So then it became clear that that's what it was," she told AFP.
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