A fisherman is fighting for his life in an induced coma after his boat was hit by a whale off the coast of Western Australia.
Grandfather John Craike, 69, and his son Ry, 39, were injured on Tuesday night when their fishing boat collided with a whale.
Emergency services were called shortly before 7pm after the incident occurred about 18 kilometres off the coast of Kalbarri in the state’s mid-west.
The Fire and Emergency Services Department (DFES) assumed the vessel was moving at the time of impact.
It took about an hour for rescue teams to locate the injured couple’s boat and guide the vessel back to shore. ABC reported.
The pair were treated by paramedics and taken to Kalbarri Hospital to be assessed.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service flew John to Royal Perth Hospital early on Wednesday morning, where he remains in an induced coma.
It is suspected that he suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Grandfather John and his son Ry Craike, 39, were injured when their boat collided with a whale on Tuesday evening
Rescue teams at sea found the boat (pictured) and escorted it back to shore
His son was taken to Geraldton Hospital in a stable condition and has since been discharged.
It is not yet known which whale species the boat collided with.
“It’s certainly not something that happens all the time,” DFES District Officer Simon Miller said Nine news.
This comes a day after a warning was issued after an injured whale attracted sharks to Jakes Point, a popular beach in Kalbarri.
A number of dead whales have also washed up on the beaches of Western Australia in recent days.
The Ministry of Transport is investigating the incident.
John was taken to hospital in critical condition after a whale struck their boat on Tuesday (stock photo)