Lynnwood, Washington -- A Washington family had quite the scare when three humpback whales came up to their boat in Puget Sound on Sept. 29. But the video went viral this week when a Twitter user added captions of what the panicked family members were saying.
The family was boating near Lynnwood when they said the whales surfaced.
The boaters can be heard saying on video from the Lucianna family that the whales were going right under their boat, and they were worried the boat could flip.
After the boat drove away, the boaters said the whales followed in their wake.
One of the women on the boat can then be heard saying, "Stupid whales. They're going to kill us."
Ken Balcomb, executive director of the Center for Whale Research, said it's not that common for humpbacks to swim under the boat like that, but if they do, they're harmless and most likely want to play.
"Some individual humpbacks have a lot of curiosity and aren’t afraid of people," Balcomb said.
If a whale does come up to your boat in Puget Sound, Balcomb said you have two choices: Let them play and enjoy the show, or leave slowly and the whale will probably leave you alone. Wait until the whale has gotten out from underneath your boat before powering up the motor and driving away.
