'I thought I was dead': Whitbourne boaters share harrowing tale of colliding with humpback
A beautiful day on the waters of Trinity Bay turned into a near-death experience for a Whitbourne man after a small boat collided with a humpback whale Monday morning.
Tony (Stewart) Morgan was relaxing in the bow of the 21-foot vessel as it travelled at high speed from New Harbour to a popular fishing spot near Chapel Arm.
Tony's son, Roger Morgan, was at the controls, enjoying the first day of his holidays, while son-in-law Terry Rose sat at his side.
The men were out on the bay to catch a few codfish, but the tranquility turned to chaos at about 10 a.m.
Violent collision
A whale unexpectedly surfaced in their path, resulting in a violent collision that brought the boat to a crashing halt, sending the 79-year-old Tony Morgan overboard and into the water.
Roger Morgan and Terry Rose were tossed around inside the craft.
When they realized what had happened, the boat was facing the opposite direction. The huge whale was still on the surface nearby, but Tony Morgan was nowhere in sight.
Roger was preparing to remove his life vest and dive down into the ocean when he saw his father surface, spitting out water and close to death.
The older man was wearing heavy hip rubbers that quickly filled with water. He was not wearing a floatation device.
After a long struggle, the two younger men managed to pull him to safety, but he thought his life was over.
"When I was down in the water everything was black and I didn't think I was getting up so I took four or five gulps of water," Morgain said Wednesday.
I wanted to die then because I didn't think I was getting out of the water.- Tony Morgan
"I wanted to die then because I didn't think I was getting out of the water."
The 79-year-old felt a burst of energy when he saw light overhead, and he scrambled to the surface.
"It was the happiest time of my life," he said.
"I was close to death. I had everything give up for a while. But we made it."
It was an unusual encounter that has the entire boating community talking.
Humpbacks can grow to 40 tonnes
Humpbacks are huge mammals that can grow to 40 tonnes and measure more than 15 metres in length.
They gather in large numbers off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador in spring and summer, feasting on fish such as capelin.
Tony Morgan was seated facing the stern, and never imagined hitting a whale.
Terry Rose likened it to hitting a brick wall, and said it could have been a much worse outcome if all three men had been thrown overboard.
"It would have been a sad ending," said Rose.
He credited Tony Morgan's excellent health and strong work ethic for allowing him to survive the ordeal.
"I always said he was in the best shape that a man could be in, and that goes to prove it."
Tooth knocked out, lungs full of seawater
Roger Morgan said his father was overcome with exhaustion and couldn't walk or utter a single word.
His lungs were full of seawater, his front tooth was knocked out, and his hip was badly bruised.
He spent the night at the Whitbourne health clinic, and was released Tuesday evening.
"He rebounded quickly," said his son.
"It goes to show the shape you're in can save your life sometimes," added Terry Rose.
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