“It Was Pretty Bad:” Students Recall Chaotic Whale Watch

Many sophomores from a high school in Schuylerville, New York, were glad to be back on solid ground Thursday after a rough ride late Wednesday afternoon on a whale watching trip that departed Plymouth, Massachusetts.

"It was pretty bad; I didn't think it was going to be that bad," said Schuylerville High School sophomore Justin Kelly. "I would consider myself pretty lucky because all I got was a bruise."

The school said more than 110 students and chaperones were on the Captain John & Son II when it was suddenly slammed with a powerful six to eight foot wave and a 15 to 20 mile per hour wind gust.

"I was like, 'Whoa, this is really happening,'" recalled student Trent Delor. "I didn't think we were going to go overboard or anything, but it did feel pretty crazy."

The wave really jostled passengers. Some suffered bumps and bruises, many got seasick or even fainted, some reported losing personal belongings, and the school said five students and a chaperon were checked out at a nearby hospital as a precaution, then released.

"I think it's a memory the kids will hold onto for quite a while," Schuylerville High School principal Matt Sickles told necn. "It was pretty traumatic."

Sickles said while most whale watchers got home Wednesday night, the ones with the minor injuries didn't make it back to Schuylerville until almost 7 a.m. Thursday morning, and stayed home from school.

"We're just really grateful to the staff at the hospital, our chaperons, and our kids. By all reports, everybody was phenomenal," Sickles said. "Many of our students stepped up to help classmates who weren't feeling well."

Student Lucas Steele said he and his classmates did get the exciting opportunity to see some whales before the trip turned chaotic. "I'd go again and see the whales again," Steele said. "It was just nerve wracking."

Necn asked if the Schuylerville tradition of a sophomore whale watching trip will continue next year following this incident. Principal Sickles said it's too early to make such a call, but predicted the issue will likely be discussed among educators and administrators.

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