Surfer injured after colliding with dolphin

A bodyboarder was airlifted to hospital after colliding with a dolphin while riding a wave on the New South Wales south coast in Australia.



27-year-old John Wolfson was surfing at Bawley Point, 250 kilometres south of Sydney, when the collision occurred.“He has come over a wave and as he did so, a dolphin has come through and hit him in the pelvic area,’’ New South Wales Ambulance duty operations manager Wayne Dunlop said. “The force has been enough to tear the patient’s wetsuit.’’

Paramedics treated Mr Wolfson, who had made his way out of the water, at the scene before he was airlifted to a hospital in Sydney. Mr Dunlop said the full extent of his injuries was unknown and he would require further assessment. While shark attacks sometimes occur around Australia, incidents involving other marine animals are not common.


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Marine research group ORCCA’s president Ronny Ling said it was hard to tell whether the dolphin had deliberately struck Mr Wolfson. “They (dolphins) can always miscalculate,’’ he said. “There is a possibility of error there on the animal’s behalf.’’ By law, swimmers are required to stay 50 metres away from dolphins and 100 metres from whales.