Humpback whale trapped in netting off Bondi beach

Whale watchers attempt to disentangle mammal but darkness stops rescue efforts

Tue 29 May 2018 09.01 BSTLast modified on Tue 29 May 2018 13.02 BST

A 10-metre humpback whale trapped off in netting off Bondi beach in Sydney may have to wait until Wednesday morning to be freed after darkness hampered rescue efforts.

Whale watchers were able to free the mammal of some of the netting but a rescue team from National Parks New South Wales was unable to fully release the whale before night fell.

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Surfer knocked unconscious by whale at Bondi

A surfer has been knocked unconscious by a 15-metre humpback whale that flicked him off his board at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

The whale was among surfers about 70 metres offshore on Sunday morning when it got too close to one of them and knocked him off his board.

The man lost consciousness for about 10 seconds and other surfers managed to help him back to the beach.

He was treated by paramedics and lifeguards before being taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a stable condition.

Bondi lifeguard Adrian Kovacic says lifesavers had spotted the whale in the water and had been aware of the potential for injury.

"The whale came heaps close to shore and then the surfers were heaps close to it," Mr Kovacic told AAP. "We sent our lifeguard to make a big radius around the whale to get everyone away, and while he was doing that one guy got too close and got hit by the tail.

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