Marlin Jumps in Boat as Floridians Reel In 350-Pound Fish (Video)

A group of Florida-based fishermen got a huge surprise Thursday when a 350-pound marlin jumped into their boat while they were fishing off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

The crew on the aptly named "Marlin Darlin" was struggling to reel in the giant marlin when it suddenly threw itself onto the deck of the 62-foot yacht.

Reports said the marlin nearly hit one fisherman with its spear-like snout, but the man was able to wriggle out of the way.

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"The guys down there are lucky [the marlin] didn’t hurt one of them," boat owner Bobby Jacobsen told Bay News 9. "There’s a piece of teak wood around the side of the boat there called the covering board and [the marlin] put a nice hole about an inch thick and cracked it completely about two feet long. [The fish's snout] could have gone through somebody."

Though Capt. Eddie Wheeler would have released the fish, it was so badly injured from the impact of the jump that it died, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The crew gave it to a local fisherman.

In July, a group of amateur fishermen landed a 500-pound blue marlin in the South China Sea, about 75 miles south of Hong Kong, after battling with it for three hours.

When the massive fish became lodged under the boat, one of the crew members took matters into his own hands.

"I decided to try something that I have never seen on the open water or have ever heard of anyone doing before," David Tuthill, the boat's captain, told news outlets. "I threw on a mask, snorkel, and fins, grabbed a gaff, and dove down to the fish and dragged the beast to the surface."





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