Fisherman rescued after giant tuna capsizes boat in Hawaii

A fisherman had to be rescued by helicopter after an enormous 200lb tuna capsized his boat in Hawaii.

Anthony Wichman had hooked the tuna off the island of Kauai. But when he went to haul it onto his 14ft boat, the vessel capsized under the weight of his catch of the day.

Mr Wichman became caught in the fishing line and got dragged underwater, reports Sky News.

But he managed to free himself and climb onto the half-sunk boat, where he called his wife, who sent out a distress call.

The US Coast Guard then sent a helicopter to the rescue, and Wichman was taken to hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, reports stuff.co.nz.

According to ITV News, Wichman's friends managed to tow his boat - and the tuna - back to port.

Lt. Jessica Mickelson, Sector Honolulu's Public Affairs Officer, toldHawaii News Now: "Thankfully Mr Wichman was still able to use his cell phone after capsizing and entering the water. Sector Honolulu was able to work in conjunction with 911 dispatch to get a GPS position of the capsized vessel from Mr Wichman's cell phone enabling Coast Guard rescue crews to arrive on scene at the exact location of distress instead of having to conduct a search.

"At the end of the day, we couldn't have asked for a better rescue. Mr Wichman was delivered safely to shore with minimal injuries and he and his friends will have quite the indisputable fish tale to tell."

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