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The full screen dolphin after being released back into the sea in Waitangi in northern New Zealand. Photo: New Zealand Department of Conservation via AP/TT
A fishing trip in calm Nyzeel waters degenerated when the fishermen suddenly got company.
From nowhere, a little over 400 kilos of heavy dolphin jumped aboard the men’s boat.
The three fishermen – like the dolphin – had angel guard. No one suffered any worse injuries when the 3.4 meter long bottlenose dolphin crashed with a bang in the small boat’s floor.
– One second everything was calm and then, just like when a flash strikes, there is a big dolphin in the boat that throws around and destroys everything, says boat owner Dean Harrison.
Getting the dolphin into the water again was easier said than done.
– We saw that the dolphin lived and breathed and thought – we have to start taking care of him and figure out how we solve this, says Harrison.
The fishermen called for help and were instructed to get to a boat ramp an hour away. Once there, the rescue was waiting in the form of a tractor and a lifting crane.
– The dolphin could swim away and we could walk home, and we all got a good story. It was a good end to a situation that could have ended very differently.