Yacht Collides With Giant Whale in Pacific... Stranded on Life Raft for 17 Hours

"Six Sperm Whales... As Long as the Yacht"
"Full Preparation Was Key to Saving Lives"

A yacht sailing in waters near Australia and New Zealand sank after colliding with a pod of sperm whales. The four people on board were stranded at sea for 17 hours before finally being rescued.

According to foreign media reports such as AFP and New Zealand's 1 News on October 1 local time, the accident occurred on September 26 in the South Pacific near Australia and New Zealand. The 16-meter yacht 'Tai Tam' collided with a pod of sperm whales about 460 km north of Norfolk Island, Australia.

Jemma Coomer, an Australian citizen and owner of the yacht, told the BBC, "I heard a 'thud' and realized we had hit something," recalling that "the impact threw me across to the port side of the boat." She explained, "There were about six sperm whales, and one or two of them were really massive—about as long as the boat itself." Jeremy Cooper, who was on board with Jemma, added, "All the steering equipment on the starboard side was completely destroyed, and water was coming in."

The yacht 'Tai Tam' being flooded. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The four people aboard, including Jemma and Jeremy, fought desperately for 30 minutes using every tool they could get their hands on to stop the water rushing into the yacht. They activated an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and quickly boarded the life raft. Jeremy reported, "It was clear we couldn't get the situation under control."

After receiving the distress signal, New Zealand authorities dispatched a maritime patrol aircraft from the Air Force. Nearby vessels that had been contacted also headed for the site. Around 6 a.m. the following day, a container ship was the first to arrive and spotted the life raft. This allowed all four yacht passengers to be safely rescued, 17 hours after the accident.

Jemma recalled, "I had to concentrate on firmly setting my foot on the lowest rung of the (ship's) ladder as I climbed up. Only after the last person was safely on board did I finally burst into tears."

The New Zealand Maritime Safety Authority stated to media, "The yacht's occupants were thoroughly prepared and operated the EPIRB promptly," highlighting that "you must be fully prepared when going out to sea in order to save lives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.