A man has been taken to hospital after being hit in the face by an extremely big and rather unexpected adversary: a whale.
The man, who is in his 30s, was fishing on a boat with a friend on Sunday morning local time, around 60 miles south of Brisbane, Australia, when the whale’s tail whacked him in the head.
He was knocked unconscious, but thankfully didn’t fall into the water, and his friend immediately called the emergency services.
ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
This was an “extremely rare” event, Queensland Ambulance Service senior paramedic Scott Brown told reporters.
“You have a little bit of disbelief that it’s happened at first,” Brown said on Sunday, according to local outlet news.com.au.” Just two guys having a morning fish and all of a sudden a whale’s tail appeared, striking one in the head.
“One, to come that close to a whale and then two, for the whale’s tail to contact you while you’re in the boat—extremely rare.”
Water police and paramedics went to the boat to fetch the injured man, after which he was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital.
“Paramedics were with them and got into the dinghy with the patient and were able to nurse him back to shore in that dinghy where [Queensland Ambulance Service] took over by land,” Brown said, according to local news outlet ABC Gold Coast.
He was left with minor facial injuries, but was otherwise relatively unharmed by the bizarre event.
“[He was] very lucky to get away with the injuries they have,” Brown said. “[He was] sore and sorry.”
“Couldn’t believe what happened—not really remembering everything that happened, but was in a good way.”
The species of whale involved in the incident has not been confirmed, however, humpbacks are currently migrating along Australia’s east coast. Although less common than humpbacks, southern right whales also migrate along the Queensland coast during this time of year.
“Just be cautious that there are a lot of whales at this time of year in that area, and today has shown us that anything can happen,” Brown warned.
#FingalHead – Paramedics are assisting with one patient in a stable condition following a reported whale and boat collision at 8.43am.
— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) August 17, 2024
Others who have had a whale collide with their boat have been less lucky. Last September, a man died after a whale caused his boat to capsize off the coast of Australian state of New South Wales.
Additionally, whales who hit larger boats and ships are often the ones who fare worse. Whales struck by large vessels often suffer fractures, internal injuries, or severe trauma, leading to immediate death or stranding.
Non-lethal injuries including deep cuts, broken bones, and internal bleeding may not immediately kill the whale, but can lead to long-term suffering and reduced chances of survival.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about whales? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.