LAHAINA -- Paramedics took a woman to Maui Memorial Medical Center Friday afternoon after the boat she was in was struck by the fin of a humpback whale off the coast of West Maui.
Maui Police Department Lahaina Division Capt. Charles Hirata said the vessel Hokulani reported the pectoral fin strike at 1:36 p.m. The crew was close to a pod of whales when one went under the boat and came up on the starboard side, Hirata said.
The fin came down and crushed a railing. The woman was injured when she fell. She was conscious and alert when the ambulance took her to the hospital, Hirata said.
Another crew member was struck in the leg during the incident, he said, but did not require medical attention.
"They actually have video of it," Hirata said. "You can see a person standing there and the flipper hitting the side of the boat."
