THIS is the moment a pod of sperm whales target a yacht before sinking it and leaving the crew stranded in the middle of the sea.
The 52ft vessel sank, leaving four crew members to fight for survival in a remote spot in the South Pacific.
Drone footage shows the moment the boat disappears under water following the shock encounter.
At one moment, a sailor can be seen waving at the camera for help, before being hauled up to safety on a larger ship.
What started as a dream holiday ended in disaster after the sperm , believed to be at least six of them, crashed into the .
Jemma Cooper, one of the sailors said: “The whole boat was pushed sideways.
“There were six to eight — a pod of whales there. So then it became clear that that’s what it was.”
Her husband, Jeremy, was below the deck when it happened.
He said: “All the steering gear was smashed on the starboard side, and there was a significant amount of water coming in.”
The team then decided to declare mayday at 1pm local time, while trying desperately to keep the boat, Tai Tam, afloat.
A Royal Air Force P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft was sent to find the shipwreck and communicate with the crew while a rescue scramble was underway.
The two other members, Terry Hetherington and Martin Jaffre, tried to scoop out water and patch the boat up to prevent it sinking.
It was discovered the boat had suffered several gashes in the hull, a cracked fiberglass structure, and broken steering.
Eventually, after realising there was nothing more they could do, the four jumped into a lifeboat and waited for help.
Fearing the wreck would drag them down, they cut their tether and the boat soon after disappeared under the water.
The MV Sofrana Surville, a 470ft container ship, rescued the team at 6am on Sunday.
This was approximately 18 hours after their run-in with the whales.
Within half an hour they had been hauled up the giant ship and were given a cup of .
They were then taken to New Caledonia to recover after the endeavour.
Speaking of the holiday as a whole, Jeremy said: “It was wonderful, wonderful, and just a terrible, terrible ending.”
The crew added they were grateful everybody had escaped safely.
