Valparaiso couple survives whale watching boat disaster

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (WLS) -- A couple from Valparaiso, Ind., was on board a whale watching boat that sank off Vancouver Island on Sunday.

Investigators say it's too early to draw conclusions about what caused that boat to capsize, but Dr. Denise Weaver told a friend a large and unexpected wave may be to blame. Dr. Weaver and her husband, Charles Carlson, were two of the 21 survivors on the Leviathan II.

"A rogue wave is what they were told. It was unexpected. It occurred suddenly and abruptly," Dr. Eric Schulte said. Dr. Weaver, her husband, and her brother, Mark Weaver, and sister-in-law, Sharon, were all briefly trapped under the boat when it flipped over. Dr. Weaver, a longtime doctor at Saint Mary Medical Center in Hobart, Ind., and her sister-in-law remain hospitalized in stable condition. Their husbands were both treated and released.

"Both Charlie and Denise were under the boat," Dr. Schulte said. "She described following the bubbles to the surface when she was underneath the boat... Denise was in the water for between 30 and 40 minutes and apparently aspirated both sea water and diesel fuel and developed hypothermia."

Five other passengers were killed when the boat capsized 90 minutes into the whale-watching tour. One person is still missing.

"We are all deeply saddened that this has happened. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this," said Corene Inouye, Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventures.

A team of investigators will be interviewing the survivors, as well as looking at the ship's maintenance history. The tour operator says the boat has been in service for 20 years. The vessel, according to the operator, has a perfect safety record.