Kalbarri grandfather John Craike fights for life after father and son boaties collide with whale

A father and son fishing trip ended in disaster when their boat collided with a whale off the coast of Kalbarri, leaving the 69-year-old dad fighting for his life.

Kalbarri locals John and Ry Craike were fishing 18km off the coast when their 7m catamaran collided with a whale about 7pm on Tuesday.

Father John received medical treatment in Kalbarri before being taken to Perth via Royal Flying Doctor Service with critical injuries on Wednesday morning.

7News reported the 69-year-old had a traumatic brain injury and a small procedure had been carried out. He remains in an induced coma.

A spokesperson for RPH said on Thursday that John was still in a critical condition in ICU.

John’s son Ry, 39, an Australian pro-surfer and fisherman, was treated for injuries at Geraldton Regional Hospital and was discharged on Wednesday.

Department of Fire and Emergency Services crews were sent to the distressed men, escorting the damaged boat back to shore after an hour-long rescue mission.

It is understood the vessel was moving when the collision happened.

DFES district officer Simon Miller told 9 News that John had traumatic injuries, suggesting he had been smashed against something hard on the vessel.

“It’s definitely not something that happens all the time,” Mr Miller said.

Earlier, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development issued a shark warning for the Kalbarri coast after an injured whale was sighted fending off around 50 predators close to shore.

DPIRD Mid West regional leader for conservation Anthony Desmond said whale interactions were common out at sea, particularly during migration season.

He said it was unlikely the two incidents were linked.

“I just think it’s just a bit of a coincidence,” he said.

“It certainly could have travelled that distance in that time, but there’s just so many whales in the water currently that I would think that it’s unlikely that there’s a connection between the two.”

The whale was spotted at the popular surf break Jakes Corner about 9.28am on Tuesday.

The department continue to monitor the situation and urge anyone using the stretch of ocean to exercise caution.

Mr Desmond encouraged boaters to be across guidelines for approaching marine animals and play their part to ensure whales can migrate north and south without interference.

“Don’t try to get too close to them. Quite often, they will come close anyway, but that’s their call, they can do that. We just want them to be able to have their journey safely and without interference from people and boats out on the water,” he said.

“There are a lot of boats and people out there that are interested, but there’s a lot of humpbacks out there too, so people should be able to see them without having to chase them down.”

Australian National Guidelines for whale and dolphin watching can be found online.