Ferry boat hits gray whale in Elliott Bay
May 28, 2019, 10:12 PM | Updated: May 29, 2019, 2:41 pm
A ferry coming from Seattle to Bainbridge Island hit a gray whale Tuesday evening in Elliott Bay, officials said.
After 8:15 p.m., officials with Washington State Ferries said a whale had breached about five feet off the bow. It appeared the ferry Wenatchee hit the whale. Officials said the whale then went back down.
People on the ferry reported seeing the incident. One witness said they saw the whale spouting blood and that it appeared it had a fatal wound. A representative with the NOAA told KIRO radio that “it’s likely the strike was fatal.”
KIRO 7 spoke with another viewer early Wednesday about what he saw.
“My wife and I, we were watching sunset around 8:20 p.m. or so, and she spotted this flock of birds circling in the middle of the Sound, and I said, ‘What do you see? Is it a whale?’ and she said, ‘I don’t know what I see,'” said David Crochet. “So, I walked over — followed her — and I noticed the water spouts, took out my phone and started filming. (I) didn’t realize the whale had been hit at that point.”
Crochet sent the video he took to KIRO 7, which appears to show the whale on the surface of the water in the distance, surrounded by birds and the wake of the ferry around it.
The Coast Guard was notified.
Ferry officials said the whale was last seen near Pier 66.
There were no reports of injuries to people on the vessel or damage to the boat.
