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Whale Attacks Santa Barbara Sightseeing Boat

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Feb 2, 2006 7:25 pm US/Pacific

Whale Attacks Santa Barbara Sightseeing Boat

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) ― A large gray whale charged a 27-foot boat on a sightseeing cruise off Santa Barbara, totaling the vessel and sending one of one of its passengers to the hospital.

The Bayliner was cruising off Leadbetter Beach Wednesday evening when the whale came up from under its right bow, belly-flopped onto the ship, and crushed its cabin.

The boat's owner, Jerry Gormley, had taken his friends Bob and Vicki Thornburgh onto the water to watch the sunset.

Gormley says the whale emerged from the water again and ran its tail along the boat's flank, knocking over Bob Thornburgh and tearing down the vessel's railing.

The whale then approached the boat a third time. Gormley estimates the animal as being about 30 feet long.

Bob Thornburgh was briefly treated for cracked ribs at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. His wife says it seemed like the whale had consciously collided with the boat.

But Wayne Perryman, a researcher with the National Marine Fisheries Service in San Diego, says the boaters probably encountered a gray whale, which are common in waters off southern California this time of year, and rarely show aggressive behavior.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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