Whale that struck boat in Barnegat Inlet before washing up dead near channel was in poor condition prior to impact

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BARNEGAT BAY, NJ — It happened on Saturday when a mike whale slammed into a boat in the Barnegat Inlet, throwing one person overboard and nearly capsizing before the whale washed up dead hours later in nearby Double Creek Channel.

The collision, which was captured on video, shows a vessel in the inlet before being struck by the whale.

Boater was thrown overboard in Barnegat Bay after a whale 🐋 kept slamming into the vessel pic.twitter.com/zayvLv01J5 — Wake Up NJ 🇺🇸 New Jersey (@wakeupnj) August 3, 2025

The impact sent one passenger flying into the water and left the boat rocking violently. That individual was quickly rescued and did not suffer serious injuries.

Two days later, on Monday, marine biologists from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC), with help from t