Brothers speared by marlin that crashed onto inflatable fishing boat off NSW coast

Two brothers have been seriously injured after being speared by a marlin that crashed onto their inflatable boat north of the NSW Central Coast.

The men, aged 46 and 48, were out on the ocean as part of a fishing trip with another 46-year-old man in a five-metre-long rigid hull-inflatable boat in the Solitary Islands Marine Park off Wooli late last week when the incident occurred.
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The trio told NSW Police the marlin, which they estimated to have weighed between 80 and 100 kilograms, crashed onto the small vessel while they were travelling back to shore at a speed of about 21 knots.

The animal’s sharp snout sliced open the 46-year-old man’s lower right arm and caused a fracture, and also caused a deep cut to his brother’s right shoulder.

The third man in the vessel was not injured, while the fish then scrambled off the boat and back into the water.

The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter was dispatched with a critical care medical team and NSW Ambulance paramedics to treat the men and airlift the 46-year-old man to Coffs Harbour Base Hospital.

The 48-year-old man was taken by road to the same hospital. Both men’s injuries are not considered life-threatening.Local fisherman Stanley Young said the pair are lucky to have survived the ordeal.

"Both of them are very lucky. If that Marlin spike had have been a bit lower or further over the first man would be dead and the second man more than likely would be too," he said.
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"Very, very crazy."