The impact was powerful enough to knock Australian Jemma Cooper from the steering wheel of the 52-foot Tai Tam yacht as a pod of six to eight sperm whales surrounded the vessel. Crew member Jeremy Cooper recalled the terrifying moment the boat was shoved sideways, followed by the sight of brown water and several whales lingering near their damaged ship. The collision occurred 250 to 500 nautical miles off the coast of New Zealand, leaving the yacht with a compromised fiberglass structure, shattered steering gear, and water rapidly flooding the hull.
For the four individuals aboard, the incident meant an immediate shift from sailing to a survival mission on the open ocean. After activating an emergency beacon at 1 p.m. New Zealand time on Saturday, the crew spent several hours frantically bailing water to keep the vessel afloat. The Royal New Zealand Air Force deployed a P-8A Poseidon patrol plane to coordinate the response, while the crew eventually abandoned their sinking yacht for a life raft.
Survival on the high seas lasted 18 hours until a passing container ship successfully retrieved the group. French crew member Martin Jaffre noted that the loss of steering made the boat unmanageable, sealing its fate as it eventually went under. Despite the harrowing experience of being stranded in a life raft after their ship was destroyed, the Cooper couple has already expressed their intention to return to sailing. The rescue operation highlights the extreme danger posed by deep-sea encounters with marine wildlife, turning a routine transit into a life-or-death crisis in the remote South Pacific.