A Narooma teenager is reportedly in a coma, suffering a broken neck and severe head injuries after being struck by a breaching whale.
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A GoFundMe page has been created by Carmen Bartley who says the teen's family has been doing it tough since the freak accident on Sunday, June 6.
Nick, aged 18, was fishing with 39-year-old skipper Matt, just off the coast of Narooma when a whale breached and landed on their boat.
"They were doing what they love, what they have done hundreds of times before - early morning fishing off the coast of their home town Narooma," Ms Bartley said.
"They had no warning and no idea the whale was nearby."
The pair were treated by paramedics at Apex Park boat ramp, and were rushed to Moruya hospital. Nick was later flown to Canberra Hospital in a critical condition.
Ms Bartley said Nick was currently in a coma, with a broken neck, and severe head injuries.
"At this stage, we don't know when he will wake up, or how this has affected his brain," she said.
Ms Bartley is a friend of the family and said they needed financial help.
"They are having to stay hours away from their home to be with Nick," she said.
"Medical expenses will be a burden to them financially. Nick comes from a family of extremely hard workers, and they have never asked anyone for help."
"We are all praying Nick makes a full recovery, but in the meantime, this family needs our help!."
To visit Nick's GoFundMe page, CLICK HERE.
Francois Van Zyl of Underwater Safaris was getting ready to launch his boat for a dive tour when he saw paramedics treating the two men at Apex Park boat ramp on Sunday.
"Being a small town, I offered my assistance," he said.
Mr Van Zyl said he helped to manoeuver boats at the boat ramp and assisted paramedics to carry Nick to the ambulance.
"Narooma paramedic staff were unbelievable and did everything they could," he said.
Mr Van Zyl said the boat was badly damaged and that it was fortunate to have made it back to shore.
"I am surprised it hadn't submerged," he said.
"It was very unfortunate for them to endure that stressful situation. We live on a nature coast, where you expect to see nature and interact with it. They were at the right place at the wrong time."
After helping at the scene, Mr Van Zyl continued his tour to Montague Island.
"It was a beautiful day, with flat and sunny conditions," he said.
"We saw lots of whales, they were everywhere.
"You would be looking at one whale and then four would pop up behind you."
June marks the beginning of humpback whales' migration from Antarctica to Queensland waters.
"They're expected to get to the Great Barrier Reef by August to give birth - it's a bit of a rush for them to get there," Mr Van Zyl said.
"They are expected in this area until July."
Adult humpback whales can be 12-16 metres long and weigh around 25-30 tonnes.
