Ry Craike + Father Hospitalized After Whale Strikes Fishing Boat

Shoulda seen the state of the whale though. 

Beloved West Australian freesurfer Ry Craike, who Slater once praised as having “the best forehand finner in the biz”, is recovering from a head injury after his boat was struck by a whale north of Kalbarri. His father Johnny Craike, a 69-year-old fisherman and surfer, was flown to Perth in critical condition by the Royal Flying Doctors. 

Ry told his followers via IG:

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“As some of you may know, at approximately 6:45 pm on Tuesday, the 16th of July, about 22 nautical miles north of Kalbarri, my old man and I were in an accident when my boat was struck on the port side bow by a whale on the steam back to Kalbarri. I headbutted the dash and received some wounds to my head while my old man was left seriously injured, as he took most of the impact. It took me nearly an hour to steam back to Kalbarri, where I was met by the Kalbarri Sea Search and Rescue approximately 2 miles outside of the Kalbarri river mouth. We had two members from Sea Search and Rescue jump on board and look after Dad while I steamed into the river mouth. I was taken to Geraldton in an ambulance while my old man was flown down to Perth by the Royal Flying Doctors in critical condition. All first responders, including the ambulance crew, Sea Search and Rescue, and Kalbarri Health Centre, provided amazing care.

I am so happy to say that my old man is now awake and making good progress, receiving the best care possible. He received a lot of serious injuries, but he is a stubborn old bugger, and we are hopeful in time he can make a full recovery and get back to doing what he loves. On behalf of me and my family, we would like to thank everyone involved in helping us; the amount of love and support has been overwhelming ❤️ (sorry if I have not responded to many messages, as I lost my phone overboard on impact). If it wasn’t for my boat, the Double Barrel, being built like an absolute tank, I’m not sure if we would even still be here.

Dad has been a professional fisherman for nearly 50 years, and between us, we have around 80 years of time spent on the ocean. I love whales, and it’s so good to see the population increasing, but it’s now something we all need to take into consideration when out on the ocean. With the technology of speedboats becoming so good and the number of whales around, we need to take extra precautions. I’m pretty glad I was up to date with my first aid and had a first aid kit on board too.

My old man is 70 in September, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more active 70-year-old out there. He foil boards daily and loves anything to do with the ocean, the true definition of the eternal grommet! Please send him lots of positive healing vibes, and hopefully, he is back out doing what he loves as soon as possible!

Much love, Ry and family”

Stab wishes the Craikes a speedy recovery.