A family was surprised during a whale watching trip in Algoa Bay, South Africa, when one of the animals came too close to the boat and hit the patriarch in the water.

While recording dolphins hunting herring, Marino Gerbavas’ daughter recorded the moment when she opened her mouth to catch fish from the water, hit a tourist boat and threw her father into the sea.

The episode aired on April 3 at the beginning of the month. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Gerbavas’ daughter, Gillian, initially said she did not understand what was happening and believed the boat may have been hit by a rock.

But looking around, the 22-year-old noticed her father’s absence and the presence of a whale near the vessel.

Moments later, according to a British tabloid, passengers feared the 51-year-old might have been attacked by another animal, but were quickly rescued by another boat.

Despite the fear, whales usually feed on small marine life such as herring and plankton and do not prey on large animals.

They are known to accidentally swallow large creatures such as birds during hunting.

Gillian says the dolphins built a “bait ball” to attract herring. But the whale was also hungry, so he followed the heap of herring and came out of the depths into the boat.

The Gerbavas family, who were born in Gkaberha, South Africa, said it was only a matter of time before Marino returned home by boat.

Watch the video of the crash in the player below: