UPDATE: Flukes of hazard whale of a capsize

THE man who had his leg broken during a close encounter with a whale is expected to be discharged from Bundaberg Hospital on Friday.

The man who had his leg broken during a close encounter with a whale is expected to be discharged from Bundaberg Hospital on Friday. Picture: Courtesty of RACQ Careflight

UPDATE: 

THE Brisbane man who had his leg broken during a close encounter with a whale is expected to be discharged from Bundaberg Hospital on Friday.

The 46-year-old man was airlifted from Fraser Island about 7am on Thursday after his boat was capsized.

The man had been watching whales before a wave from one of the giants flipped the tinnie and threw him onto rocks.

The friend he was fishing with suffered minor injuries.

EARLIER: 

A PEACEFUL morning out fishing and watching whales turned into emergency surgery after a man was thrown from his tinnie by a wave caused by the gentle giants.

The 46-year-old man was airlifted from Fraser Island about 7am Thursday after he was tossed from the boat onto rocks near Waddy Point on Fraser Island.

The man was taken to Bundaberg Hospital by the RACQ Careflight chopper where he was treated for multiple leg fractures.

It is understood the man, from Brisbane, underwent surgery on Thursday to have his leg set.

Another man was in the boat at the time and received minor injuries.

A spokeswoman for RACQ Careflight said the man had been watching a pod of whales when the waves from their movement flipped the tinnie.

"The group was forced to swim to safety, but about 50 metres from shore the man was thrown onto rocks by a wave, fracturing his leg in two places," she said.

"He became stuck on the rocks and emergency services had to swim out to retrieve him."

Waddy Point Lodge caretaker Kelvin Challenor said people on the island had been talking about the incident.

"From what I have been told they were fishing close to Waddy Point," he said.

"The wave picked the boat up, flipped it and threw it against the rocks."

Mr Challenor said the chopper landed near Orchid Beach to retrieve the man who was stuck on the rocks.

Whale Watch owner Jill Perry said it was best for boaties to stay about 300m away from the whales.

"Boats should be aware if a whale is in the area to take precautions," she said.

Ms Perry said boat operators should take note of the direction whales were travelling to ensure they were not in their path.

Whalesong operator Jason Brigden it was not uncommon for whales to head towards boats.

"The boatie may have gone in too close or the whales may have come to him," he said.