Man in hospital after being slapped in the face by a whale’s tail off the Gold Coast

A man was hospitalised after being slapped by a whale's tail off the Gold Coast. Photo / 123rf

A fisherman’s “extremely rare” encounter with a whale knocked him unconscious after he was slapped in the face by the mammal’s tail.

Emergency services were called after reports of the man in his 30s being injured shortly before 9am local time on Sunday about 1km out from the Tweed Heads bar.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior paramedic Scott Brown said the fisherman’s experience was “extremely rare”.

“You have a little bit of disbelief that it’s happened at first,” Brown said.

“Just two guys having a morning fish and all of a sudden a whale’s tail appeared, striking one in the head.

“One, to come that close to a whale and then two, for the whale’s tail to contact you while you’re in the boat — extremely rare.”

The man, who was left unconscious, remarkably was not knocked from the boat and remained on board after being struck.

Thankfully, he wasn’t alone and his friend driving the boat rang triple-0.

Crews from Volunteers Marine Rescue, water police and paramedics travelled by sea to the man before he returned to the mainland.