Boat tragedy claims five lives after whale flips vessel
New details have emerged pertaining to the accident that involved a whale, which was understood to have flipped over a boat at Goose Bay, claiming the lives of five photographers near Kaikōura in New Zealand’s South Island.
The fatal accident occurred at 10 am on a Saturday, when the whale breached directly underneath the boat causing the vessel to capsize. Six people were thrown overboard including the skipper; five others were left trapped and did not survive.
According to their website, the 10 photographers from the Nature Photography Society had been planning the three-day field trip for months. Everyone made their way to the popular seaside village on Friday September 9, before setting out to photograph landscapes, seascapes and birdlife.
The group embarked at 9 am in an 8.5m aluminium boat, leaving South Bay at Kaikōura and heading down the coastline to Goose Bay near the well-known twin road tunnels on State Highway 1.
The three-hour charter had taken the group out on the water to capture photos of the snow-capped Kaikōura landscape in the background and the birdlife along the coast, with whale watching not even on the agenda.
An hour later, the charter headed north towards Barneys Rock, a popular spot for photographers and tourists. As it motored slowly north it appears it was on the edge of the famous deep trench that is home to whales, where the canyon quickly drops away to a depth of 500 metres and as far down as 3km.
The boat was about 500 m from shore when the emerged from directly beneath the boat, flipping the vessel, throwing the skipper and passengers into the water.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is investigating, in conjunction with Maritime New Zealand and the police.
Image: Getty