Diver Searches For Missing Man, Then Sees Wild Dolphin Acting Strange
Sudden Realization
The dolphin had brought him close to the ocean floor where the murky water and darkness made it almost impossible to see.
Suddenly, he no longer felt safe. A wave of fear washed over him as he realized how far he dived. His heart was racing. Then the dolphin made a sudden burst of clicks and squeals. Frantically, he shined his light towards her. His jaw dropped.
Denis Rusk
As a first responder Navy Seal Diver, Denis Rusk is used to dropping everything at the touch of a button and diving straight towards a familiar sense of danger. But there would be nothing familiar about this rescue mission.
Facebook / Ron Burger
It was late evening by the time Denis got the call to prepare for a rescue operation along the Californian coast.
Rescue Mission
He was greeted by his team of rescue divers as he reached the scene. They already had everything loaded onto the boat. He hopped on and immediately started to change into his wetsuit and gear.
Scuba Diver Life
As he dressed, the team filled him in on details of the rescue mission. Little did they know, they were missing one crucial piece of information.
Missing Man
A man had been reported missing after his frantic wife called the station when he failed to return from his usual 2-hour excursion at 7 am that morning.
Bite Magazine
Denis listened as he fastened his oxygen tank around his waist. The missing man was sailing in a white fisherman’s boat named ‘Seasar’ that was last seen at 7.30am. It didn’t look good.
Into the Ocean
With no time to lose, Denis and his team of divers secured their gear and flipped into the ocean one by one, like clockwork. His heart quickened as the cold ocean engulfed him, his adrenaline pumping as he switched into rescue mode.
Manta Lodge
He prepared himself for the unknown scenes ahead. But there was no preparing for something like this.
First Mistake
It was about 20 minutes before Denis realized there was a dolphin that seemed interested in him and his team. Another 10 minutes passed by before he realized that this dolphin was actually following them.
Caters News Agency
The wild dolphin swam close to him. Denis remembered being amused at how friendly it was, but with a rescue mission at hand, he paid little attention to it. It was his first mistake.
Second Mistake
His second mistake was calling the rescue mission off when they kept coming up empty. Hope dwindled as the ocean settled into darkness. Now, he had to think about his own team's safety.
The World
Caught between a rock and a hard place, he ordered the team to swim back to base. But on his way back, something went wrong.
Acting Strange
Denis started to notice that the dolphin was acting more and more strangely. She was following them all this time but now, her movements became more frantic. She’d swim towards one direction and swim back to Denis. She was pacing.
Youtube / Caters Clip
Curious, Denis decided to swim towards her. But just as he did, she turned. Now Denis was sure. She wanted him to follow her.
Intrigue
With his torchlight in hand, Denis swam behind her as she led the way down into the dark depths of the unforgiving ocean.
Youtube / Sailing Zatara
As he swam, he wondered if he should call for back up but he was too intrigued. It was as though the dolphin had lured him especially. She wanted to show him something. But Denis had no idea what kind of situation she was bringing him into.
Clicks And Squeals
It felt eerie now. She had brought him close to the ocean floor where the murky water and darkness made it almost impossible to see.
Animal Channel
A sudden wave of fear washed over Denis as he realized how far he’d come. His heart was racing when the dolphin made a sudden burst of clicks and squeals. Frantically, he shined his light towards her. His jaw dropped.
Out Of The Darkness
Out of the murky, dark water read the letters ‘Seasar’. It was the missing fisherman’s boat. Astonished, he froze as the seriousness as the situation hit him.
Youtube / Caters Clip
Reacting to his stillness, the dolphin swam up to Denis as if telling him to hurry up. Denis stares wide-eyed at the dolphin, regathers his senses and swims into action. What he’d find next would send his head spinning.
Missing Man Found
The dolphin led him to the window of the shipwreck. Denis followed and pressed his face up against the window in an attempt to see what was inside.
CNN.com
To his amazement he found a man looking directly back at him. His eyes tearing, his face covered in relief. It was the man he was looking for. But how?
John Welch
Incredibly, an air pocket had formed in the one-room boat. John Welch was taking his boat out for his usual 2-hour leisurely spin around the coast when winds caused him to crash into a rugged submerged rock.
News Desk
The impact was so sudden that the boat sunk so quickly, leaving behind a large air pocket, big enough for him to survive comfortably and shout for help. He describes what happened next.
Call For Help
“I thought my time was numbered. All I could do what shout for help. That’s when I saw the dolphin. It swam up to the window here and just stared at me for a couple of seconds before it swam off again”, he recalled.
Credits
“I thought it was the last thing I would see before it kept returning. It returned to me three times before it returned again with a rescuer”. He continued.
Hailed A Hero
“I owe my life to that dolphin”, he tearfully exclaimed. Denis called down the rest of his team and continued to return Denis safely to his wife and kids.
Youtube / GoPro
The dolphin, now hailed as a hero hung around to see the job done. Denis stated that the wild dolphin had indeed saved this man’s life by somehow knowing how to communicate with him. Wow, what a story!
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