It is not every day that you get to see a dolphin in the UK, let alone see one stranded, but this is exactly what Steve Hedges encountered while out digging for bait on the Kent coast this week.
While collecting worms with his friend Aaron Cole, the pair heard shouting from a family further up the beach, with cries of "dolphin" being yelled. Dropping everything, the anglers ran over to assist and see what the commotion was about...
SEA FISHING IS A GREAT WAY TO SPEND A DAY, CHECK OUT THESE EXCELLENT VENUES TO TRY.
"We had heard from a family shouting that there was a dolphin on the beach and that it was still alive. I can't really tell you much more as instinct took over, and we both ran over to see how we could help," Steve told us.
"The dolphin was still alive when we got to it, and we didn't hesitate; we picked it up immediately to try and get it back into the sea."
"As the coast here is quite treacherous, and we could only assume the dolphin had gotten trapped behind one of the sandbanks while chasing small mullet and flatfish."
The tide on the Kent coast, where the dolphin was stranded, recedes quickly and was almost a mile out by the time the anglers reached it. The weight of a common dolphin, which is what it is believed to be, is around 100 kg, so getting it back to the water was no easy task.
NEW TO SEA FISHING? THESE AWESOME TIPS WILL HAVE YOU CATCHING IN NO TIME!
"I grabbed it as best I could, as it was heavy, and I didn't want to cause any unnecessary damage to the dolphin. We began walking through the sticky mud to the water's edge."
"Thankfully, the adrenaline took over, and we managed to get to the sea really quickly despite the difficult terrain. We waded the dolphin out, and to our relief, it swam away strongly."
"It was the last thing I ever expected to see and will hopefully never see again. I am just glad it was still alive, and our actions hopefully saved its life."
"If I find fish or anything alive while out on the beach, I always try to save them. It just so happened to be a dolphin this time," Steve concluded.
A PAIR OF THE BEST FISHING WADERS WILL ENSURE YOU STAY DRY, EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO SAVE A DOLPHIN!
