A DOLPHIN has found its way up the Hawkesbury River towards the Wisemans Ferry area, and as of Wednesday, May 17, was still in the river.
Sydney man John van der Maas, who regularly goes fishing on the river, spotted the dolphin on Friday morning, while out on the water with his wife, Christina.
“We saw it breaching the water and I thought ‘what is that?’ It came out again and we started looking for the phone so we could take pictures,” he said.
“He was around us for a good 10 minutes. We had a good look at him, I got two good pictures of him.”
Sheer Indulgence owner Jodie Coleman told The Gazette the dolphin was still around on Wednesday.
“He has been hanging around, he is very easy to find. He is unfortunately going the wrong way,” she said.
Coleman said she originally spotted the dolphin on Sunday, while wake boarding with her husband and others at Leets Vale.
“My husband was actually wake boarding and it jumped in front of the boat,” she said.
“We just stopped and pulled him in the boat and we just watched him catch fish.
“We've lived down on the river for 40 years and never seen anything like it.”
Mr van der Maas said said he had fished on the Hawkesbury River for 35 years and never seen anything like it.
“I've seen sharks but not as far up the river as Wisemans Ferry,” he said.
“I was surprised we caught a mulloway there too, they usually don't go in the fresh water either.”
Mr van der Maas was staying at the Del Rio Resort at Wisemans Ferry, and said when he told the staff they couldn’t believe it either, until he produced the evidence.
He said he had a good feeling, knowing he had spotted such a rare, potentially even unheard of sight.
Del Rio Resort general manager Sharon McNamara said she had been at the resort for 50 years.
She said she had never personally seen a dolphin or a shark, but every now and then heard tales of them appearing nearby.
Coleman said she brought marine rescue organisation ORRCA up the river to check on the dolphin, and they had been monitoring it.
She said ORRCA was hoping the dolphin would finds it way back to the open water, although might potentially have to relocate it.
