VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A massive sunfish in need of help was saved by a Florida deputy on Tuesday after it managed to get itself stuck.
The Mola (ocean sunfish), who are known to be clumsy swimmers according to National Geographic, found itself on the shoreline of a beach. Thankfully, a deputy with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office knew what to do.
Grabbing the heavy, bony fish by the fin, the video shows Deputy Urquhart attempting to move it by pulling. But with its weight easily exceeding 5,000 pounds, the fish didn’t budge.
“It’s also slimier than you think,” the deputy tells the other responding officer. “This thing’s heavy.”
He described the skin as “spiky sandpaper,” making it even more difficult to assist the beached animal.
The deputy goes on to tell the sunfish that he is trying to help him out, as he grapples with its massive fin. Between tugging him off the sandy shore and pushing him, he began to make some progress.
After a few tugs and pulls here and there, the deputy wiggles the fish enough to loosen him from the sand. He then wraps and secures a rope around it to begin pulling.
Eventually, the deputy pushes the fish out to sea.
“Don’t turn left,” the deputy pleaded to the fish, as turning would get it beached once again.
“It’s like watching a Roomba,” the deputy joked as the fish slowly made its way back to its home.