A group of young NZ fishers had a day on the water they’ll never forget after a 300-400kg juvenile bottlenose dolphin launched itself onto their boat.
During the annual Russell Fishing Competition in the Bay of Islands, the crew from @bliss_fishing_ had a pretty standard start to the day, setting off some lines in the hopes of catching a few snapper.
But things took a wild turn when the hefty mammal jumped up 2-3 metres into the air and right onto their boat, landing sideways on the casting platform rails and breaking a bunch of their rods and equipment.
One of the crew just avoided being crushed, while another got caught by the dolphin’s tail, taking a few smacks, but luckily escaping any serious injuries.
“Our immediate reaction was to jump out of the way and make ourselves as small as possible, as one of the boys just managed to slip out before it landed on his head,” the group wrote in their Instagram recap.
“I managed to get my arm caught and take a bit of a beating from the tail, but all in all, we got very lucky that we didn’t end up under this unit of a mammal,” they added.
Bliss Fishing also shared a few clips on TikTok, showing how they kept the dolphin wet using a deck wash hose and a towel.
After realising the mammoth mammal was too heavy to lift on their own, the group immediately called DOC (Department of Conservation) and the Coast Guard for guidance as they headed back to the Waitangi boat ramp.
“[We] got back to a boat ramp where DOC and some legendary locals were able to help us rotate dolphin so a tractor could lift it back in water,” they wrote on TikTok.
Once they arrived at the ramp, DOC confirmed the dolphin was still healthy.
With the help of about 8-10 people, a tractor, strops, and a lifting mat, they carefully returned the dolphin - now named Tohu, meaning ‘Sign’ - back into the ocean to swim again.
The group also extended a huge thank you to the locals at the ramp who jumped in to help make sure there was a happy ending.
“We very much are grateful for you all,” they wrote in their Instagram post.
Others can’t believe the hectic situation, with one commenter writing: “Good on you guys for looking after it.”
“The way he stayed so calm the whole time because he knew they were helping 👌,” another added.
A third said: “Good going, guys. Glad y’all used some good thinking and got that animal some professionals to take over. Loads of guys would have chucked it back in somehow.”
Someone else couldn’t resist saying: “I’d like to hear the story he tells his friends 😂.”
I bet Tohu will be careful jumping out of the water from now on.
As for the crew, they’ll have one heck of a fishing yarn to tell for years!
