A spear fisherman has been winched from the deck of a boat, after accidentally stabbing himself in the leg, at a reef off the Gladstone coastline.
It’s believed the professional fisherman was in the water, catching a large fish, when his knife missed its target and instead, punctured his leg.
He was with a group of experienced spear fishermen, who came to his aid and moved him to the safety of the boat.
The Bundaberg-based RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter was called into action just before 1pm. (Sunday 7 June)
The pilot located the boat as it headed towards the coastline and hovered over it, while the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Flight Paramedic was winched down to the vessel, to assess and treat the patient.
An RACQ LifeFlight Rescue Aircrew Officer was then also lowered down, to bring a stretcher, needed to safely winch the patient to the helicopter.
All three men were then hoisted back up to the chopper.
The patient, aged in his 60s, was flown to Bundaberg Hospital, in a stable condition.
The fisherman told the crew he did manage to catch the fish, despite the ordeal.
