A 54-year-old man was seriously injured on Monday when he fell off a boat in Park Rynie on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, police said.

Superintendent Vincent Pandarum said Francois Naude, from Rustenburg, was apparently standing at the front of the boat when it was being launched.

"They encountered a few big waves... and Naude lost his balance and fell overboard when one of the waves lifted the front of the boat," he said.

Naude sustained back injuries and a suspected hand fracture and was taken to Kingsway Hospital for treatment.

Sapa