A fisherman knocked unconscious by a whale’s tail has been left incapacitated by spinal injuries, as family and friends rally to help him recover.
Jordan Mainstone was fishing from a small boat with a friend about 1km off the northern New South Wales town of Tweed Heads on Sunday when a whale surfaced beneath the boat and struck him directly with its tail.
Mr Mainstone was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital where he spent more than a week receiving treatment for spinal injuries.
Water police and paramedics jumped into the boat with Mr Mainstone to help bring her to shore.
“They didn’t want to take him off the boat because they thought he had neck injuries,” John Murray of Marine Rescue NSW said.
Jet skiers Brady and Adam Bell, who were nearby, witnessed the astonishing episode unfold.
“It was just bad luck, bad timing – the boat came in, the whale came in and it was just inevitable,” Adam said.
The couple said anyone in the ocean should be aware that they were among the “whales.” ‘playground’.
Jordan Mainstone (pictured, left) was fishing from a boat on Sunday 18 August with a friend about 1km off the northern New South Wales town of Tweed Heads when a whale surfaced beneath the boat and struck it with its tail.
TO Gofundme page has been created to assist Mr. Mainstone with medical and other costs while he recovers,
“Jordan was fishing with a friend off Tweed Bar, which they had done on numerous occasions, when unexpectedly a whale appeared beneath the boat and its tail struck Jordan in the face, knocking him unconscious,” the page says.
‘He was rushed to GCUH (Gold Coast University Hospital) and has been in ICU for the last 9 days with his wife Rebecca by his side.
‘He has a long road to recovery and it is unknown when he will be able to return to work.
‘Rebecca has also been unable to work during this time and depending on Jordan’s recovery requirements/time, she may not be able to return to work for some time either.’
Authorities said the incident was extremely rare, but those on the ocean should be on the lookout for whale activity.
The page, created by Samantha Johnson, had raised more than $2,000 of its $10,000 goal by Wednesday morning.
TOOfficials said it was an extremely rare event, but reminded those taking to the water that whales often appear along their migration routes at this time of year.
“I’ve been doing this for 22 years and I’ve never heard of a whale hitting someone on a stationary boat,” Murray said.
“We have had boats come into contact with whales before, but never with a person sitting on a boat.”