By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent
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.
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."
Bishan Rajapakse pictured recovering in hospital 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.
The surfer was placed in an ambulance after the knock He told reporters: "I certainly thought it was like a little minibus size. I've seen a few whales in Bondi before, you know, just walking, but this was the biggest I've seen.
"And we were so close to it. So it looked massive. It looked like an alien to us, you know, like one of those alien spacecraft or something. It was amazing."
Several people witnessed the incident from the beach.
Businessman Lachlan Harris said: "You just saw basically surfers, surfboards, swimmers thrown into the air like skittles, I've never seen anything like it.
"It was like they were soft toys getting thrown around the cot by a whale, and, you know, the whole beach sort of gasped basically," he said.
The whale swimming off Bondi Beach Lifeguard Anthony Harries warned beachgoers to take care.
He said: "It is a good message not to go close to these mammals. They're extremely powerful and they can get up to 80 tonnes (78.74 tons)."
Mr Rajapakse has now been released from hospital.
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