Anthony Wichman, 54, of Koloa, Hawaii had his 14-foot boat capsized and was dragged into the Pacific and nearly drowned by an Ahi tuna, according to CNN. Wichman was fishing off the coast of Kauai on the morning of July 19, when he hooked the 230-pound tuna, and after an hour of fighting it, he was able to get it on his boat. However, once on onboard, the fish’s stay would be short-lived.
“He gaffed it once in the back, and the second gaff went straight into the fish’s eye and that caused the fish to take a final dive. And he dove straight down, and the line wrapped around my dad’s ankle and pulled him overboard,” said Anuhea Wichman, Anthony Wichman’s daughter.
As Anthony Wichman fought to stay alive, he managed to call his daughter, who could barely understand her father.
“All I could hear was him hyperventilating, and I could hear him puking,” said Anuhea.
Between gasps for air, Wichman managed to say “sinking” and “Coast Guard.” From there, Anuhea got in touch with the Coast Guard, who then called her father and with the help of 911 operators were able to use his cell phone signal to locate and rescue him.
In the end, Wichman came away with only a few bruises and a rope burn, and two friends were even able to haul in that tuna when they went out to tow in his boat.
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