Whale Knocks Surfer Unconscious in Australia [Video]

The man was treated in hospital after being struck by the 'minibus-sized' mammal that he said looked like an alien spacecraft.

A man surfing just off Sydney's Bondi beach has been knocked unconscious after an encounter with a huge whale. Bishan Rajapakse was surfing with a friend 30 metres off the famous beach when the mammal, thought to be a southern right whale, appeared.

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The 38-year-old man told reporters in Australia he saw the whale approach and the next thing he knew he was waking up on the sand.

He said: "I just remember this magnificent whale slowly coming to the right of me and coming for another look.

"I just kind of felt like talking to it like a dog or an animal, and say 'hey', that was it. Maybe it was giving me 'high five', I don't know."

Mr Rajapakse was dragged to safety by fellow surfers and lifeguards and was then taken to a local hospital where he was treated for head and shoulder injuries.

Fellow surfer Richard Freeman, who was in the sea at the time, said: "That tail, the power in it. Oh my God.

"It was... I'm just glad he's all right, because it could have been such a different ending."

Whales are a common sight off Sydney's coast at this time of year as they migrate north, but it is very rare for them to swim so close to beaches.

Mr Rajapakse said it was the biggest whale he had ever seen.