A wing surfer filmed miraculous footage of a the moment a humpback whale breached, landing on his board and dragging the water sports enthusiast under the surface.
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Jason Breen, 55, was surfing on Sydney's Northern Beaches on October 25 when the juvenile whale popped out of the ocean.
Mr Breen said the incident could have taken a tragic turn. The whale was caught in Mr Breen's ankle rope after the two collided.
"I thought it was all over," he said after the incident.
He was dragged under the water "20 or 30 feet" before the ankle rope snapped and Mr Breen resurfaced.
"It was a big calf, if it had barnacles I would have been ripped apart because the whale's body was beside me the whole time," he said.
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A second angle of the incident was filmed by onlooker Paul Netteback who was watching the wing surfer from afar.
"I wanted to keep filming but then I thought someone might have just died, so I stopped filming and I got triple zero ready," he said. .
Anna Houlahan
Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM). She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
