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LAHAINA - Paramedics took a woman to Maui Memorial Medical Center on Friday afternoon with what appeared to be minor injuries after the fin of a humpback whale struck the research vessel she was on in West Maui waters.

Maui Police Department Lahaina Division Capt. Charles Hirata said the vessel Hokulani reported the pectoral fin strike about 1:25 p.m. The crew was near a pod of whales when one whale went under the boat and came up on the starboard side, Hirata said.

The victim is a 61-year-old Bremerton, Wash., woman who was on a whale-watching expedition aboard the Hokulani of the Center for Whale Studies, Hirata said.

It was the second time in six years that the well-known Centers for Whale Studies has been involved in an unusual incident in Maui waters.

In April 2003, a marlin speared Mark Ferrari, the nonprofit whale center's co-director, through the right shoulder while Ferrari swam three miles off the West Maui coast with a pod of false killer whales.

Aside from his research publications, Ferrari also gives presentations on whales and has been a consultant for films and television documentaries.

Mark Ferrari and wife, Debbie Ferrari, his research partner, have split their time between Louisiana and Maui and have been coming to the Valley Isle to study humpback whales since the 1970s.

Friday's collision also involved the Ferraris, said Randy Awo, state Department of Land and Natural Resources Maui branch chief for the Conservation and Resources Enforcement Division.

However, Awo said he was unable to identify the victim of Friday's encounter with a whale.

Hirata said that on Friday the whale's fin came down and crushed a thin railing on the 26-foot, twin-outboard catamaran. The woman, who was standing in the bow of the small boat, was thrown to the deck and hit her head. She was conscious and alert when the ambulance took her to the hospital, Hirata said.

Another crew member suffered a leg injury during the incident, he said, but did not require medical attention. On Friday evening, police said they had no updated information on the woman's condition, but it appeared that her injuries were minor.

Thin pieces of tissue believed to be from the whale were found on the boat's hull, Hirata said. There was no information available on the whale's injuries.

"They actually have video of it," Hirata said. "You can see a person standing there and the flipper hitting the side of the boat."

Efforts by The Maui News to reach the Ferraris on Friday were unsuccessful.

The boat's captain told police he had a permit that allows him to be in close proximity to whales.

Naomi McIntosh, superintendent for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whales National Marine Sanctuary, confirmed that the Center for Whales Studies has the required permits to venture near whales, a federally protected endangered species.

According to the center's Web site blog at www.centerforwhalestudies.org the vessel had been sidelined off and on recently because of the gusty wind conditions. The latest entry was from Thursday.

McIntosh said sanctuary officials received a report of the incident on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's animal danger hot line.

"This is still under investigation," she said. "The NOAA Office of Law Enforcement will do an investigation and interview all the people involved and make sure we have all the information that's necessary."

It was the third strike involving a whale and a vessel in Hawaii this season, McIntosh said. All took place in Maui waters. No injuries were reported in the other two collisions.

"This is a perfect reminder to boaters out there: This is the peak of the whale season, and weather conditions make it extremely difficult to see whales at the surface of the water. And when they come up to breathe their mist is carried away quickly by the wind."

She said boaters should keep their eyes on the water at all times, watch their speed and always stay at the helm.

* Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.