In a thrilling turn of events, a British rower on a solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean was joined by an unexpected group of companions – a massive pod of whales. Tom Waddington, a U.K.-based ski coach embarking on a 2,000-nautical-mile voyage to raise funds for the mental health charity Mind, captured this incredible moment on video and shared it on his Instagram account.
As Waddington marveled at the breathtaking sight of whales blowing bubbles and playfully rocking his boat some 100 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, he estimated that the pod consisted of over 1,000 long-finned pilot whales. Despite his initial excitement, Waddington voiced concerns about the whales potentially hitting his rudder, a fear that soon became a reality when one of the energetic creatures collided with his boat, leaving him visibly shaken.
While incidents of whales ramming into boats have been on the rise in recent years, with orca whales in particular gaining a reputation for their aggressive behavior, experts speculate that these incidents may be a result of playful orca teenagers or a response to the threat of entanglement in fishing lines.
Luckily, Waddington managed to escape unscathed as the whales eventually moved on from his vessel after a two-hour standoff. Reflecting on this once-in-a-lifetime experience, Waddington expressed a mix of awe and fear at the close encounter with these majestic creatures.
