Dozens of dolphins took a wrong turn Tuesday
Photo: Joe Kot
Dolphins pay Haifa a visit
Dozens of dolphins reach Haifa Port by mistake; Coast Guard directs them back to open sea
HAIFA - About 40 dolphins were trapped in the Haifa Port Tuesday after reaching the area by mistake and struggling to make their way out.
The Coast Guard spent most of the day trying
to direct the pod of dolphins towards the open sea, finally succeeding in the task Tuesday afternoon.
Coast Guard officials, as well as the Agricultural Ministry’s Fishing Department and Institute for Marine Research were first alerted to the dolphins' presence Tuesday morning.
'They kept on swimming back'
Coast Guard commander David Mor Yosef said he believes the dolphins mistakenly swam into the port at about 6 a.m.
“We have been trying to help them since the morning, by sailing near them in a bid to redirect them to the exit point towards the open sea, but they kept on swimming back” Yosef said.
This is the first time the Coast Guard has dealt with such an incident.
While the force's main mission at this time is to protect Israel's shores from terror attacks, Coast Guard members are used to mainly dealing with criminals and surfers in distress.
