A fishing trip off the coast of New Zealand's North Island turned into an unexpected adventure when a 900-pound dolphin leaped from the water and landed in a small boat. The incident occurred near the picturesque Hole in the Rock, where three fishermen were enjoying a calm day on the water.
Dean Harrison, the owner of the nearly 16-foot vessel, described the scene as "berserk" after the 11-foot bottlenose dolphin crash-landed in the boat. "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 told the Associated Press.
The dolphin's thrashing broke all the fishing rods and damaged the bow of the boat, but fortunately, none of the fishermen were seriously injured. One man sustained minor injuries when the dolphin grazed his back and shoulder.
Due to the dolphin's size, the fishermen could not return it to the sea on their own. They contacted New Zealand's conservation agency and were directed to a nearby boat ramp. During the hour-long journey, the men kept the dolphin wet using a hose and protected it from the sun with a damp towel featuring the All Blacks rugby team.
Once ashore, members of a local Māori tribe prayed for the dolphin, which was named Tohu, meaning "sign" in Māori. The dolphin was safely returned to the ocean using a tractor. Harrison later named his boat Tohu in honor of the event.
"The dolphin got to swim away and we got to walk away and we’ve all got a story to tell," he said. "It’s a good ending in a situation that could have been very different."