In a heart-stopping moment captured on video, Jason Breen, a 55-year-old wingfoiler, was body-slammed by a humpback whale while gliding through the waters of Mona Vale beach in Sydney. Breen, who initially believed his GoPro wasn’t recording, was astounded to discover that the footage had indeed captured the extraordinary incident.
As the whale launched itself out of the water and crashed onto Breen, he found himself dragged under the surface, fearing for his life. “Shit, I just got hit by a whale,” he exclaimed in the video. Moments of panic ensued as Breen struggled beneath the massive creature, feeling its smooth skin against his own. Miraculously, he managed to resurface, despite his leg rope snapping during the encounter.
A concerned bystander on a nearby headland had dialed emergency services, anxiously waiting to see if Breen would emerge unscathed. Interestingly, the same bystander had been filming Breen’s wingfoiling adventure just as the whale breached and landed on top of him. Wingfoiling, a sport similar to windsurfing, has recently gained popularity among water sports enthusiasts.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with close encounters between humans and marine wildlife. Tragically, just last month, a 61-year-old man lost his life when a whale struck his boat in Botany Bay, throwing him and another individual into the water.
Breen acknowledges his fortunate escape, expressing gratitude that the whale involved was a juvenile. Had it been an adult, he believes the outcome would have been far direr. “There’s no way I’d be here… I’d be gone for sure,” he reflects. He considers himself incredibly lucky to have survived what can only be described as a one-in-a-million encounter.
Source: PhilNews24 | October 27, 2023
