South African couple Paloma Werner and Ralph Mothes went on NBC’s “Today” show Thursday morning to discuss the amazing pictures that have spread all over the world of a 40-ton whale landing on the deck of their yacht.

The couple had seen the whale nearby, but Mothes said he didn’t expect it to be on a collision course with the boat. Mothes told NBC’s Matt Lauer that suddenly, “I saw this huge monster shape come out of the water on my port side.” Watch the interview: