Tourists Jump Ship After Seal Gets Aboard
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MELBOURNE, Australia — Nineteen tourists jumped overboard when a startled seal flipped aboard their schooner and nearly capsized the small craft during a storm.
The incident occurred during a squall late Thursday in Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay. The boat was having fuel trouble and sought refuge at a floating platform that is a favorite resting spot for seals.
When they tied up alongside the platform, a bull seal lying there apparently panicked and jumped off--and landed on the boat.
The tourists scrambled off and clung to the platform for two hours until they were rescued by a pilot boat, police said. No one was hurt.
Passenger Anne McMaster said the seal momentarily landed on top of her. “It was definitely exhilarating,” she said.
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