Water calm, then a 900-pound dolphin jumps onto their boat

Water calm, then a 900-pound dolphin jumps onto their boat

A peaceful fishing trip turned out for three men New Zealand to chaos when a dolphin weighing over 400 kilograms seemingly fell out of the sky and landed in their small boat. The men witnessed an unexpected sight when the 3.4 meter long bottlenose dolphin jumped into their open boat.

The unexpected event at sea

Dean Harrison, the owner of the nearly 17-foot-long boat, reported that no one was seriously injured. Harrison and his two companions were fishing near the picturesque Hole in the Rock on New Zealand's north coast as dolphins played around them. Suddenly they saw a shadow cross the bright summer sun, followed by a deafening bang before the chaos began.

Dolphin jumps on board

“This dolphin decided to jump on board and say hello,” Harrison said. “One minute everything was fine and then, like a lightning strike, there was a huge dolphin in our boat that snapped around and broke everything.” His harness was damaged by the dolphin's wild thrashing, and the boat sustained heavy damage to the front while the three men clung to the sides of the boat.

The challenge of saving the dolphin

Since the majestic dolphin was too big to simply put back in the water, the men decided to help him. “We saw the dolphin still alive, breathing, and thought we need to take care of him and figure out what to do,” Harrison said. “He’s stuck in the boat now, so he’s coming on the trip with us.”

The rescue operation

The men notified the New Zealand Nature Conservancy and were given instructions to drive to a jetty an hour away, where rescuers were already waiting for the dolphin to arrive. Along the way, they kept the dolphin moist with a hose and protected it with a wet towel depicting players from the All Blacks rugby team.

Reunion with the sea

On the shore, members of a local Māori tribe prayed for the dolphin before it was returned to the sea by tractor. The 2- to 3-year-old dolphins were given the name Tohu, which means "sign" in the Māori language. Tohu is now also the name of Dean Harrison's boat.

A happy ending

“The dolphin was able to swim away and we were able to leave, and we all have a story to tell now,” Harrison said. “It’s a good ending to a situation that could have turned out very differently.”