Dolphin's surprise leap transforms fishing trip into rescue mission
A peaceful fishing trip changed in a split second. "One minute everything was fine and then just like lightning striking, there’s a big dolphin in our boat thrashing around and breaking everything," admitted Dean Harrison, the boat owner, quoted by CNN. The surprised men carried out an unusual rescue operation.
The extraordinary incident occurred off the coast of New Zealand, where three men were on a fishing trip. While fishing, they noticed dolphins, and a moment later heard a loud crash. Then a large individual, weighing about 400 kilograms, landed on their boat.
Unusual incident
Dean Harrison and his two companions were fishing near Hole in the Rock. It wasn't their first time going to this spot to fish. This time, the calm trip turned into a crazy story. "One minute everything was fine and then just like lightning striking, there’s a big dolphin in our boat thrashing around and breaking everything," Harrison recounted, quoted by CNN.
The dolphin, by jumping onto the boat, broke fishing equipment, and one of the fishermen sustained minor injuries. The men immediately contacted local services for help, as the weight of the dolphin prevented them from throwing it back into the water. They were directed to a slipway about an hour away, where service members were waiting for them.
During transport, the men kept taking care of the dolphin - pouring water over it and shielding it from the sun. Upon reaching the shore, specialists and members of the Maori tribe were already waiting there, offering a prayer for the animal. The dolphin, named Tohu, which means "sign" in the Maori language, safely returned to the sea. "The dolphin got to swim away and we got to walk away and we’ve all got a story to tell," summarized Harrison.
The individual that leapt from the water and found itself on the boat is a common bottlenose dolphin. Adults can weigh up to 500 kilograms and reach lengths of up to 4 metres.
