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A teenage boy who was severely injured when a whale landed on his fishing boat off NSW’s far-south coast has woken up after being in a coma for more than a week.
Nick Myhill, 18, and his stepfather Matt, 39, were on an early morning fishing trip on June 6 off the coast of Narooma when a whale breached from the water and landed on their small boat.
The pair had no warning and no time to react, with the freak accident leaving Nick in a critical condition.
Despite also sustaining injuries, Matt was able to get them both back to shore, using a radio to make a mayday call on the way and organise an ambulance to meet them at the boat ramp.
Nick suffered severe head a neck injuries and was transferred to The Canberra Hospital where he remained in a coma for eight days.
On Wednesday, Nick’s family said they were “extremely pleased†to reveal he woke up on Monday.
“Nick is communicating well with family and medical staff. He remembers what happened to him,†his family said in a statement.
“At this stage we still don’t know what the future holds for Nick, or the extent of any permanent damage.
“However he is alive, awake and responsive, which is absolutely amazing considering what he has been through.â€
A GoFundMe, set up to support Nick and his family during this time, has raised over $22,000, with his family thanking everyone for their support.
“We will provide further updates on Nick’s condition as we are able to in the coming weeks,” Nick’s family said.
“For now we are enjoying having our beautiful boy back and spending as much time with him as we can, and looking forward to helping him celebrate his 19th birthday on the 27th of June, which only days ago we were not sure that he would see.â€
The incident involving Nick prompted a warning from NSW Police Marine Area Command for skippers to be aware of their surroundings and maintain safe distances while on the water during this season’s whale migration along the NSW coast.
Representatives from the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia and National Parks and Wildlife are continuing to monitor the area to ensure the whale’s safety.
From March, humpback whales begin migrating from Antarctica to warmer northern waters, arriving in Queensland by June.
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