Fisherman shocked after a dolphin suddenly jumps into his boat while cruising near Stradbroke Island

An Aussie fisherman was left stunned after a dolphin jumped three metres into the air and landed in the back of his boat. 

Bo Sawyer was out on the water in Dunwich, on the western part of Queensland’s North Stradbroke Island on Tuesday, when the unexpected guest arrived aboard.

‘We just had a dolphin jump about three odd metres in the air, break the console and he’s currently in the boat,’ Mr Sawyer said in a video shared to TikTok. 

‘We’re just waiting for a wildlife group to come and hopefully we [can] get this poor fella out.’

Mr Sawyer said the dolphin was provided with a constant flow of water until wildlife services arrived, adding the marine animal was far too heavy to move themselves.

It took eight rangers from the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Minjerribah Wildlife Rescue to safely carry the dolphin back into the water. 

Photos shared to social media by the QYAC showed the rangers covering the animal in wet towels as they lifted it out of the boat. 

‘A dolphin jumped onto a charter boat and our amazing QYAC Rangers alongside QPWS Rangers and Minjerribah Wildlife Rescue swiftly came to the rescue,’ it said. 

‘Thanks to everyone involved, the dolphin was safely returned to the bay where it belongs.’

The dolphin appeared to have suffered minor scratches on its tail during the jump.

Adult bottlenose dolphins can weigh up to 200kg while calves can weigh up to 20kg. Bottlenose dolphins can also grow up to almost 4metres in length.

Several viewers suggested that Mr Sawyer could have lifted the dolphin back into the water himself. 

‘Just pick it up, throw it back,’ one person wrote. 

‘I would’ve rag dolled it back into the water or drove to a nearby boat or pier to get help instead of waiting,’ another claimed. 

Many, however, pointed out that dolphins were a lot heavier than they looked, with Mr Sawyer admitting he couldn’t even ‘budge’ it.

A Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the dolphin was reportedly trying to catch a fish that was being reeled in by Mr Sawyer’s boat. 

‘Our patrol vessel was quickly diverted from Moreton Banks to Dunwich boat ramp to support Minjerribah Wildlife Rescue in releasing the dolphin,’ the spokesperson said. 

‘A SeaWorld vet confirmed the dolphin was in a suitable condition for release and rangers from Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) supported its release back into the ocean.’