Hooked billfish rarely leap onto boats, but when they do it can be extremely dangerous.
So when a fairly large sailfish jumped aboard the stern deck of a small cruiser in the Pacific off Costa Rica recently, the two anglers—possibly the first mate and a client—decided that the best course of action was to abandon ship.
The accompanying footage, uploaded by Crocodile Bay Lodge, shows a sailfish leaping and trying to shake the hook as it's being reeled toward the stern. In most cases sailfish will sound or try to avoid boats, but this fish was coming in fast and did not seem to realize a boat was in its way.
The captain, who presumably was videotaping the catch, can be heard yelling, “Careful! Careful!,” as the man holding the fishing rod shoved himself into the other man, sending both over the stern rail.
Reads one of the comments on the resort's Facebook page: "Nice takedown by the mate ... lol."
According to the video description, the sailfish was ultimately released alive.
Todd Staley, the resort’s director of fishing operations, said that this had not happened in the resort’s 15-year history until this day—when it happened twice!
Crocodile Bay Resort is located at the edge of the rain forest on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, which is famous for its rich ecological biodiversity.
Beyond the bay is a seasonal feeding area for sailfish, and anglers sometimes raise a dozen or more sailfish per day.
The resort frowns upon keeping sailfish, and hopes that many years pass before another jumps into one of its boats.
–Pete Thomas
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