Man thrown from boat after whale collision near Palm Island

A man is lucky to be alive after the boat he was travelling in struck a whale, causing him to be thrown overboard.

A man is lucky to be alive after the boat he was travelling in struck a whale, causing him to be thrown overboard.

Townsville Water Police officer in charge Sergeant Matt Pegg said the 6m vessel, with four people in it, struck a whale near Palm Island on Saturday night.

MORE NEWS>>>

• Man suffers head, limb injuries in Bruce Hwy crash at Damper Creek

• Thomas Albert Nugent found not guilty over death of cyclist

• Innisfail farmer reveals thoughts on exit from show and hints at new romance

He said the impact “caused the boat to spin around off course” and disabled the boat. 

“Another boat travelled to assist them and towed them to Palm Island,” he said. 

“One person in the back was thrown overboard.”

It is understood the man broke his arm and suffered some internal bleeding.

Sgt Pegg said the impact damaged the vessel’s steering.

Humpback whales are on the move on their annual migration following the breeding season.

These whales will typically begin to head back to southern waters from September to November.

Humpbacks, once at risk of being hunted to extinction, can grow to a length of 16m.

In a separate incident, Townsville Water Police needed to tow a 7m boat back to Townsville from the Great Barrier Reef.

An activated EPIRB alerted emergency services to the distressed boat off Davies Reef on Sunday.

Sgt Pegg said two fixed wing aircraft and a rescue helicopter were tasked. No injuries were reported.

Originally published as Man thrown from boat after whale collision near Palm Island