‘Very, very rare’ waves crash inside ferry in Washington

A video shot on Tuesday shows a ferry inundated by water as rough seas in Northwest Washington slam waves into the vessel.

Named the M/V Issaquah, the ferry was traveling near the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Anacortes, according to Washington State Ferries.

They noted that the boat did not have any passengers onboard. Rather, the vessel was transporting crew and their vehicles.

Footage shot on the Issaquah begins with a shot of those vehicles as water rushes underneath and around them.

In the background, the white waves of the Strait can be seen churning violently.

“We sometimes have waves crashing over the bow, but for this to happen, it is very, very rare,” Washington State Ferries said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. They noted that the vessel was moving outside its usual route.

The video then cuts to the other side of the ferry, where the water that initially flooded the central vehicle compartment flowed.

The water can be seen moving side-to-side as the boat is tossed by the waves outside.

Washington State Ferries said the captain of the boat reported that the weather forecast looked good for the vessel.

After the crew exited the shelter of Puget Sound, the seas ended up being rougher than expected.

A view from a higher deck showed how aggressive the waves were.

Images below captured the moments as waves batter the Issaquah over and over again.

The photos below show a view of the Issaquah as it traversed the rough seas.

Taken by Washington resident Sarah Geist, the photos captured just how violent the waves were as they crashed onto the vessel.

The waves were caused by high-speed winds. According to the National Weather Service, the wind speeds on Tuesday measured up to 25 mph.

Washington has seen a parade of storms over the past week.

Officially tagged a “bomb cyclone,” the storm causing these dangerous conditions has created strong winds and even blizzard warnings in the nearby mountains.

Washington State Ferries said the vessel sustained minimal damage.