Photo: Scott Stanton / iStock / Getty Images
Stunning video captured the moment a 75-foot passenger ferry got hit by a large wave and ran aground in Hawaii. The boat, named the Discovery, is owned by Atlantis Adventures, which runs submarine tours that take passengers about 100-feet below the surface.
The incident occurred just after 8 a.m. on Saturday (August 9), when the Discovery got rocked by two large waves, sending it into shallow water where it got stuck. The waves almost knocked the vessel on its side, but it was able to recover and remain afloat.
There were only two people on the ferry at the time, the captain and one crew member.
“Basically they were coming in trying to beat this wave,” bystander Ramon Brockington told The Associated Press. “And the boat didn’t have enough power to get in front of this wave. So what happened was a wave ended up picking up the boat, and the captain basically lost all steering whatsoever.
“Basically, the boat was surfing like a giant surfboard,” he added. “I’ve never seen a boat of that size and caliber being picked up like a toy and basically launched across the beach.”
The United States Coast Guard responded but could not reach the vessel because of the shallow water. Instead, two rescuers on jet skis approached the ferry and spoke to the captain, who said that he and the other crew member were not injured.
Officials have launched an investigation into the incident.