Marine Rescue boat hit by whale off Stradbroke, two injured

12:22 AM Mon 20 Jun 2011 GMT

'First casualty of the whale season' .

With the whale watching season just started, a Volunteer Marine Rescue boat has been severely damaged by collision with a whale off North Stradbroke Island near Brisbane this week, and fears are held for the whale involved. The collision tore apart one of the catamaran's hulls, injuring two crew members. Tony Hawkins, Volunteer Marine Rescue vice president, told The Brisbane Times that the 10-metre catamaran was en route to help another vessel off Stradbroke Island's Point Lookout when it collided with the whale about two nautical miles off shore shortly after 6pm. ''As [the boat] ...

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