A large marlin weighing up to 100kg jumped into a small boat off the New South Wales coast, seriously injuring two brothers, with one of them suffering a fracture when his arm was sliced open.
The marlin breached and landed in the brothers’ boat off Wooli, north of Coffs Harbour, at midday on Thursday.
“The marlin’s sharp snout sliced open the younger brother’s lower right arm, causing an open fracture,” NSW Police said in a statement.
“The older brother suffered a deep cut to his right shoulder.”
The East Australian Current means offshore water temperatures in the area range from 19-28C, making game fishing conditions very good. All three species of marlin – black, blue and striped – are found there.
The brothers – aged 46 and 48 – were in a five-metre rigid-hull inflatable boat with a third man, aged 46, who wasn’t injured.
The fish scrambled out of the boat and back into the water.
The brothers were taken to Coffs Harbour Base hospital. Their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
