A Florida charter boat out to watch dolphins got a little more than it asked for when a 600-pound dolphin leaped onto the deck of the 24-foot pontoon boat, news-press.com reports.
"When we pulled up . the boat was three quarters full with water and had the biggest dolphin I had ever seen," Lt. Kieth Perry, who responded to the resulting 911 call Sunday for the Isles of Capri Fire and Rescue Department, told the website. "It was huge. It was a monster."
The boat, Cool Beans, was following a group of dolphins on the Marco River when one dolphin apparently mistimed its jump, Perry says.
The dolphin hit a woman on board, spraining her ankle. The eight people on board immediately called the authorities.
Perry says it took about 10 men 20 minutes to wrap rope around the dolphin and place it on a backboard. The group released the uninjured dolphin back into the water.
"He wasn't doing anything to us. He wasn't moving," Perry said. "It was almost like he knew he was stuck and that he had to rely on us to get out."
Perry says the eight people on board were buzzing about their experience.
"Most of the people on board were joyous just because they had the pleasure to be so close to most people's favorite animal," Perry told the website.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/03/startled-tourists-welcome-600-lb-dolphin-aboard/1
