The fisherman was taken to shore after being knocked unconscious by a whale’s tail. Photo: Screenshot//ABC
On the morning of Sunday, August 18, a fisherman in Australia came home with a whale of a tale. Literally. He’s lucky to be alive after he was slapped in the face by a whale’s tail.
According to reports, he was on a boat with a friend off the coast of Tweed Heads when the extraordinarily rare event occurred.
“Just two guys having a morning fish,” said Scott Brown, one of the responders from the Queensland Ambulance Service on scene, told ABC. “And then all of a sudden, a whale’s tail appeared, striking one in the head.”
As is expected when one is hit in the face by the tail of a whale, the man was knocked unconscious. Neither the victim or his fishing partner were aware that a whale was in the area until it surfaced and flipped its tail. It’s not uncommon for whales to interact with boats, but it is uncommon for such a direct interaction.
“We’ve had boats come in contact with whales before, but not actually a person sitting in a boat,” Brown continued. “You have a little bit of disbelief that it happened at first, but respond nonetheless, and when we got there, that’s what we found had happened.”
Luckily, the man, who is in his 30s, sustained only minor injuries. As a result of the knockout blow, however, he doesn’t remember the event. It’s unknown what kind of whale it was.
His friend called emergency services who responded to the scene with Volunteers Marine Rescue, water police and paramedics. They were then taken back to shore and the victim was transported to Gold Coast University Hospital. He’s expected to make a full recovery, but he sure does have a good story to tell.
“Just be cautious that there are a lot of whales at this time of year in that area,” Brown warned after the rescue was over. “And today has shown us that anything can happen.”
