Tik Tok video captures collision between hire boat, rower on busy Yarra River

An awkward collision between a hire boat and a recreational rower has sparked debate about the safety of a busy city river.

Footage of a bizarre collision between a hire boat and a rower on Melbourne’s busy Yarra River has divided opinion, with some labelling the incident “unbelievable”.

The video, uploaded to Tik Tok by Paul Dowsley, captured the moment the kayak crashed into the motorboat, which appeared to refuse to give way on the busy river.

A Tik Tok user has captured the moment a rower and hire boat collided on the Yarra River. Picture: Tik Tok / Paul Dowsley

The motorboat appears to fail to give way to the rower before the crash. Picture: Tik Tok / Paul Dowsley

The rower, who had their back to the boat, capsized immediately after the collision, disappearing into the river before hanging onto the kayak as it was swept away.

Published with the caption “whose fault?”, the video sparked a debate online about who caused the crash, with the boat full of three women continuing on, seemingly unfazed.

“So many things wrong with what’s going on here. The hire boat is in the wrong, should have taken action earlier to avoid a collision,” the account Terrence Dean Boats wrote.

Many users were quick to point out that under law the powered boat should have given way to the kayak, with others perplexed by the response by the hire boat.

Moments after the collision, the rower capsizes. Picture: Tik Tok / Paul Dowsley

The rower is then swept down river while clinging on to the vessel. Picture: Tik Tok / Paul Dowsley

“They didn’t even flinch. Unbelievable,” wrote one user on Tik Tok.

Another user on Reddit added: “I cannot believe they kept going and didn't help out the poor guy.”

One Reddit user pointed out the obvious risk on the busy river, writing: “Letting a bunch of unlicensed people ride boats in the river. What could possibly go wrong?”

The drivers of the boat, which had a desk in the middle of the vessel, were not without their defenders, with one person writing: “The river cyclist is always in the wrong.”

Originally published as Tik Tok video captures collision between hire boat, rower on busy Yarra River