Dean Harrison says he and cousin Milton Brookland and their mate Aysten Holbrow count themselves very lucky after the bizarre encounter on Friday.
“A 400kg dolphin falling out of the sky is going to leave more than just a bruise on the body,” Harrison said.
The bottlenose dolphin is winched on to a pontoon after leaping into a small boat in the Bay of Islands. Photo / DoC
The trio had just finished a successful morning catching snapper at Cape Brett when they decided to head into deeper water to try their luck with kingfish.
They made for a spot on the water that was busy with birds.
Amid their slow approach, a dolphin did a big vertical jump seemingly out of nowhere, Harrison said.
“In the blink of an eye, there was a massive crash and boom, then a live 400kg dolphin filling the inside of our small open top boat going absolutely ballistic.”
Harrison said the dolphin was like a tornado, throwing fishing gear – rods and reels – everywhere while the trio scrambled to get out of its way.
Brookland had felt the dolphin brush down his shoulder and back as it flew past the front of the boat where he had been sitting.
“Our mate [Holbrow] down the back managed somehow to get a beating by the tail when it was thrashing around.”
A check up later on would reveal Holbrow most likely suffered a hairline fracture in his arm as it had been pinned between the boat and the dolphin’s tail.
Harrison said the three friends had clung to the boat’s edges, trying to make themselves as small as possible.
“We stood out of the way with our jaws hanging at our feet trying to comprehend the situation.
“It took quite a while for the brain to catch up and process what was actually happening.”
Harrison said the moment was very surreal.
Once the dolphin calmed, the men checked everyone was okay – including the boat.
There had been a very real worry the boat wouldn’t handle the weight, Harrison said.
“It’s a good ol' Stabicraft so she stayed afloat.”
Harrison said that slowly the men gathered their thoughts and were able to come up with a plan.
“We had no way of getting him off the boat so we were stuck with him,” Harrison said.
“We were like, we’re gonna look after you buddy and figure out what to do with you.”
They asked for help via maritime radio service, Russell Radio. An operator put them in touch with a Department of Conservation ranger who told them to keep the dolphin cool and shaded.
The trio covered the dolphin in towels and hosed it down.
The men hosed the dolphin off as they made their way to shore.
They had also sought help from the nearest vessel they could find.
