Sydney: Astonishing moment breaching humpback whale lands on a wing foil surfer
A wing foil surfer has miraculously escaped without serious injury after a breaching humpback whale landed on him.
Jason Breen, 55, was cruising the waves at Mona Vale, on Sydney’s northern beaches, at 10.30am on Wednesday when the whale calf suddenly emerged from the water next to his board.
The incredible incident was captured by both Mr Breen’s GoPro camera and passerby Paul Netteback, who captured footage from the shore.
In the GoPro footage, Mr Breen screams in fear as the giant mammal jumps out of the water and lands on him.
“I saw the head come out, then I saw the body come out and then I saw the whole thing above me,” Mr Breen told Seven News.
Jason Breen, 55, was cruising the waves at Mona Vale, on Sydney’s northern beaches, at 10.30am on Wednesday when the whale calf suddenly emerged from the water next to his board.
The GoPro captures a few seconds of turbulence, then shows Mr. Breen climbing back onto his board as the young whale’s tail retreats into the distance.
Mr. Breen looks shaken, but is otherwise unharmed.
“I just got hit by a whale,” he shouts in the video.
After being hit, the whale became entangled in his leg rope.
“It probably dragged me 20 to 30 feet underwater, to be honest,” he said.
‘I thought it was all over, then I felt my belt break and I thought, “Thank God” and got to the top.’
In the GoPro footage, Mr Breen screams in fear as the giant mammal jumps out of the water and lands on him (pictured)
He said he could feel the whale’s skin against his.
‘It was a big calf. “If it had had barnacles I would have been torn apart because the whale’s body was next to me the whole time,” Mr Breen said.
After seeing the freak accident happen while he was filming. Mr Nettlebank immediately called triple-0.
He said the lucky escape wouldn’t stop him from wingfoiling again because nothing could stop him from going into the ocean.