A kite surfer was placed in an induced coma after sustaining a severe head injury at Altona beach last week.
Paramedics were called to the Esplanade just before 3pm on Wednesday and found the 50-year-old unconscious and in a critical condition.
Intensive care paramedic Mathew Singh said there were fears the man might have injured his spine from the drop.
“We were told he was kite-surfing and it appeared as though a gust of wind picked him up about three metres and then threw him into the shallows where it’s believed he hit his head,” he said.
“We had to place him in an induced coma at the scene so we could manage his airway and breathing.
Given the extent of the drop he experienced and the severe knock to his head, we also couldn’t rule out a possible spinal injury.”
He was taken to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition.
