Aussie Surfer Describes Dolphin Slam as Like Being Hit by Motorcycle
John Wolfson, the 27-year-old surfer and bodyboarder who collided against a dolphin on Monday, his birthday, is not blaming the mammal for the water sports accident.
He takes the blame for the collision which Mr Wolfson describes as like being hit by a motorcycle.
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He told ABC, "I was in the way of the dolphin coming through the wave and he didn't see me. It wasn't intentional or anything like that." Mr Wolfson added, "I kind of felt bad for the dolphin. He's probably got a bit of a sore head."
John was actually surfing with his twin brother, Dave, and four other male friends at Bawley's Beach when a pack of dolphins suddenly came in. He recalled a huge splash which was the collision with the mammal. Dave said he thought his twin brother just scraped the dolphin, but John complained of body pain, thinking the impact broke his rib.
John was initially brought to Milton Hospital and later airlifted to St George Hospital in Sydney for further treatment, but he was released after a short time later. According to marine biologist Professor Rob Harcourt of Macquarie University, a collision with a dolphin could break the back of a human, so Mr Wolfson is lucky for sustaining only two fractured ribs, swelling and bruising and a torn wetsuit.
Mr Harcourt explains that dolphins are aggressive and ram each other in dolphin fights, especially among males, but he said what happened to Mr Wolfson was not a case of dolphin aggression.
Mr Wolfson is still recovering, but said he would go back to surfing.