Full Breakdown
Sperm Whales Collide with Yacht in the Southwest Pacific, Crew Rescued After 18 Hours
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
A 52-foot yacht named Tai Tam was struck by a pod of up to eight sperm whales while sailing roughly 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island and 320 miles south of New Caledonia Island. The impact created a large hole in the hull, smashed the starboard steering gear, and caused the vessel to take on water. Crew members reported the collision on a Saturday night, abandoned the sinking yacht, and spent the night in a life raft before being rescued.
Crew Response and Rescue
Four of the six crew members, including Australian Jemma Cooper and her husband Jeremy Cooper, worked to bail water, seal hull breaches with improvised material, and activate the Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). French crew member Martin Jaffre swam beneath the hull to assess damage, while New Zealand crew member Terry Hetherington announced a “full mayday” at 1 p.m. New Zealand time. After 18 hours, the 470-foot container ship MV Sofrana Surlville located the life raft, transferred the sailors aboard, and provided coffee and medical check-ups. No injuries were reported.
Official Assessment
Rescue Coordination Centre Operations Manager Mike Clulow praised the coordination of the operation, noting that the early EPIRB activation was crucial. New Zealand Defence Force footage confirmed the hull damage and the subsequent sinking of the yacht. The incident highlights the known capability of sperm whales—animals measuring about 50 to 60 feet in length—to cause serious damage to vessels. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies sperm whales as a “vulnerable” species.
Verbatim Quotes
- “All the steering gear was smashed on the starboard side, and there was a significant amount of water coming in,” — Jeremy Cooper, crew member
- “It was wonderful, wonderful, and just a terrible, terrible ending — but luckily no loss of life,” — Jemma Cooper, Australian crew member
- “This was a well-coordinated and executed rescue,” — Mike Clulow, centre operations manager