Darren Curmi, 53, and brother-in-law Stuart Collings, 61, were pulled from the water by NSW Police after a whale struck their boat off Cape Banks at La Perouse about 6am.
Curmi kept Collings, who was unconscious, afloat for about 45 minutes until help arrived.
Emergency crews performed CPR on the 61-year-old, but he unfortunately died on the rescue vessel.
The 53-year-old was uninjured but was taken to hospital for monitoring.
“A witness vessel was travelling out to the headlands and noticed the vessel doing laps without anybody on board,” Acting Superintendent Siobhan Munro said.
“And that’s when they identified that there were two people in the water and called emergency services.”
Munro said witnesses tried to assist the people in the water and police were on scene very soon after the initial reports.
“Police say that the skipper stayed as close as he could to the deceased and he was doing all he could until police arrived.”
She said they were in a 4.8 metre runabout, which would be suitable for the conditions where the vessel was located.
“There are lots of whales out there,” Munro said.
“It is not unheard of the stories of whales breaching next to boats, which is obviously captured quite often.
“So this is a tragic accident but not one that I guess would be… unexpected.
“It is a stark reminder that although you could be out on the water having the best day, it could quickly turn into one of the worst days if skippers aren’t prepared or if tragic incidents like this occur.”
All boaties are required to keep a distance of 100 metres from whales.
Initial reports suggest the whale was submerged before it hit the boat.
NSW Police minister Yasmin Catley said the government’s deepest condolences go out to the family after the “terribly tragic” incident.
“It’s a stark reminder really of just how dangerous the water can be,” Catley said.
“We’ve coexisted… recreational fishers and other marine life have coexisted for as long as we can remember I’m sure we can continue to do that.”
For volunteer lifesavers, this is the beginning of what they expect to be a very busy summer.
They are urging all boaties to wear life jackets, as the majority of people they rescue are not wearing them.
The Foreshore Road Boat Ramp at Botany is currently closed as police investigate the incident.
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