The victim was taken by helicopter to a hospital in the Australian capital Canberra. His condition is critical. The friend he was fishing with, the 39-year-old skipper of the boat, suffered a facial injury and a possible concussion in the incident.
After the humpback whale crashed onto the deck, the skipper managed to contact the coast guard. With the damaged boat, he was able to independently sail back to the departure point in Narooma, where he was met by the emergency services.
Not warned
A friend who has started a fundraiser to cover the 18-year-old victim’s medical costs says the two people on board “were not warned and had no idea the whale was so close”.
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Police, meanwhile, are warning of heavy-handed clashes with whales, which are more common at this time of year at the start of the Australian winter.
The humpback whale migration is a landmark off the East Australian coast. The animals migrate from the Antarctic to warmer waters in the north from March. In June they arrive off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland.
Whale possibly injured
The Coast Guard does not rule out that the humpback whale was also injured in the incident. Conservationists are trying to track down the animal to see if it needs help.
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