File photo of a humpback whale breaking through the water near Victoria.
A passenger who was injured when a whale watching tour boat struck a humpback off the coast of B.C. is still in the hospital but is expected to be released by the weekend.
Ben Duthie with the Prince of Whales Whale Watching company said the passenger is recovering from injuries sustained during Monday’s incident and it is hoped the passenger will be released on Saturday.
The second passenger who was injured in the incident was released from the hospital shortly after.
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The boat, which was one of the company’s smaller zodiac vessels, struck the whale near the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. There were 12 people on board at the time.
Prince of Whales Whale Watching said the humpback whale surfaced for air unexpectedly in front of the boat. The bow of the boat went up in the air and came down on the starboard side, which is when the two passengers were injured. An ambulance met the passengers at Ogden Point.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said it doesn’t believe the whale was injured. The Transportation Safety Board and DFO are looking into the incident but a formal investigation has not been launched.
Alexa Huffman
