A teenager seriously injured when a breaching whale crashed onto a boat he was fishing from has woken from a coma and is communicating with his delighted family in Canberra Hospital, relatives and friends say.
Nick Myhill, 18, suffered a broken neck and serious head injuries in the incident on the NSW South Coast.
"He is alive, awake and responsive, which is absolutely amazing considering what he has been through," his family said in a statement.
Mr Myhill was fishing with his stepfather, Matt Price, on Sunday morning when a whale surged out of the water and crash landed on their small craft about 500 metres off Narooma, on the NSW south coast.
"Both men suffered injuries, however, Nick's were severe," a statement on a crowdfunding page set up by family friend Carmen Bartley said.
He has "a broken back and severe head injuries" the page reported.
"At this stage, we don't know ... how this has affected his brain," it said.
'Communicating well' before birthday
Amid an outpouring of support for the family across the state's south coast, well-wishers have so far raised more than $20,000 for the family.
More than a week after the account was set up Ms Bartley shared an update on Mr Myhill's condition.
"Nick is communicating well with family and medical staff," she wrote
The news comes less than two weeks before Mr Myhill's birthday.
"[We are] looking forward to helping him celebrate his 19th birthday on the 27th of June, which only days ago we were not sure that he would see," Ms Bartley wrote.
Police and maritime officials are still investigating the incident.
