Brothers badly injured after marlin jumps into their boat
Two brothers were seriously injured when an 80-kilogram marlin flipped out of the water and sliced the pair as it thrashed about in their boat on the Mid North Coast.
Three men, including the brothers, were boating in the Solitary Islands Marine Park around lunchtime on Thursday near Wooli, north of Coffs Harbour when they hit the marlin, NSW Police said.
The boat was travelling at about 40 kilometres an hour when it hit the fish, which the brothers estimated weighed between 80 and 100 kilograms, according to NSW Police.
It flipped out of the water and landed in the boat, NSW Police said.
Nine News reported one of the brothers told police that hitting the marlin felt like hitting a cow.
As the marlin thrashed about its snout sliced the 46-year-old younger brother's lower right arm and cut the older brother, 48, on his right shoulder.
The third man, also 46, was unharmed and the marlin managed to flip out of the boat and back into the water.
The brothers were taken to Coffs Harbour Base Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.