Baby whale struck by boat off NSW coast
Content creator Michael Hatte was tracking two southern right whales – a mother and calf – as they migrated north past the Illawarra region on Saturday.
His footage, taken at Stanwell Park, shows the calf swimming behind its mother when a small boat carrying three people comes into view.
The boat drives straight over the calf, with the impact knocking the vessel's three occupants off their feet.
'I had already stopped filming but could see the boat heading straight for the pair that were just below the surface,' Mr Hatte, who gave news.com.au permission to use his video, wrote.
'I pressed record and captured the whole event, which is literally 3 seconds long.
'Bub moving it's head just at the right time, impact could have been devastating!'
Mr Hatte had been whale watching with his wife and called the organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans (ORRCA) to report the incident.
'Followed bub for as long as I could, no signs of injury and actually went back to feeding and playing with Seaweed not long after in some very shallow water,' he wrote on social media.
Whales are protected under NSW laws and boats must stay 100m away from adult whales and 300m away when calves are present. For jetskis it's 300m at all times.
ORRCA had been tracking the duo as they moved along the NSW coastline, and believed the older whale was also hit by a boat near Merimbula on the South Coast earlier this month.
In a post on its Facebook on Saturday, ORRCA said the mother 'carries a vessel strike injury on her flank, likely caused by a boat propeller'.
'With her injury, this mother is already facing additional challenges, making it even more important that she and her calf are given space & quiet as they travel.
'Southern Right Whales rely on sheltered coastal bays to rest and feed their young, and they need to do this without interference.'
Its spokesperson, Pip Jacobs, told the ABC the baby appeared to have recovered and the two whales were seen in Sydney Harbour on Sunday.
'Vessel strikes can be fatal … but we're pleased to confirm that mum and baby seem to be doing well,' she said.
'These whales are particularly difficult to spot from the water, so they're often in the way of boats who don't know they're there.
'We know no one wants to hit a whale.'
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