A peaceful fishing trip turned chaotic when a 400kg (900lb) bottlenose dolphin crash-landed into a small boat off the coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The men on board were left stunned and shaken as the massive creature thrashed around, damaging their equipment.
Owner Dean Harrison described the incident, saying: “This one decided to jump on board and say hello.” However, in an instant, the situation turned dire as the dolphin’s flailing snapped all their fishing rods and severely damaged the bow.
Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt. One of the fishermen suffered minor injuries to his arm after being grazed by the juvenile dolphin.
Harrison and his companions were unable to return Tohu, the 2-3 year-old dolphin, to the sea due to its massive size. Instead, they alerted New Zealand’s conservation agency and headed to a nearby boat ramp for assistance.
Workers helped Tohu back into the ocean using a tractor, while locals from a nearby Māori tribe prayed for the creature’s safe return. The dolphin is now safely back home, with Harrison naming his new boat after it – Tohu.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/dolphin-boat-zealand-fishing-northland-bottlenose-421fbe9a3175eea93159238dfcad61b1