Whale Capsizes Boat Off Deal, Asbury; Watch Drama To Save 2 Men

A whale off the shores of New Jersey caused a boat to capsize on Thursday, and a video shows the dramatic attempts to save two boaters who went overboard.

Earlier on Thursday, two people in a 20-foot boat were fishing approximately one mile off Deal when they had a close encounter with a whale. The whale surfaced beneath the vessel, causing it to capsize, police said.

Both occupants fell overboard as a result. Troopers from the New Jersey State Marine Services Bureau are conducting the vessel accident investigation.

A retired Trenton firefighter rescued the two fishermen. Former Capt. Gary Szabo rushed into action when he heard a "mayday" call over the radio while out fluke fishing on his boat, he said.

"Started out as a nice day of fluke fishing," Szabo said. "Heard a boat calling a mayday, which was about half-mile from my position. Found two guys in the water hanging on to their capsized boat."

The water was full of bait fish, apparently attracting the whale that flipped the fishing boat, he said on Facebook.

"Was easy to get them on my boat due to my dive ladder," he said. "There were whales feeding on all the bait fish in the area, and they said one came up from under and flipped the boat over. Lucky guys."

The rescued fishermen were identified as William Sobeck Jr., 64, of Brick, and Jonathan Swingle, 64, of Hamilton, police said.

Here is the video of the scene:

State Police and YouTube photos