{"id":16696,"date":"2026-01-11T08:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T08:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/16696\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T08:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T08:10:13","slug":"one-ton-sunfish-rescued-from-dry-dock-in-cape-town-pics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/16696\/","title":{"rendered":"One-ton sunfish rescued from dry dock in Cape Town [pics]"},"content":{"rendered":"

A dramatic marine rescue kicked off the year for the Two Oceans Aquarium team after their largest-ever sunfish \u2013 weighing an estimated one ton \u2013 was freed from Cape Town\u2019s Sturrock Dry Dock.<\/p>\n

The team was alerted to the stranded giant on New Year\u2019s Day, when dock staff spotted the sunfish (also known as a mola mola) during routine drainage operations.<\/p>\n

Recognising the urgency of the situation, the dry dock halted the drainage process overnight to ensure the animal remained submerged until rescuers could arrive the following morning.<\/p>\n

Measuring an impressive 2.32 metres in length and stretching 2.5 metres from fin tip to fin tip, the sunfish presented a major logistical challenge.<\/p>\n

While not the team\u2019s first sunfish retrieval<\/a> at the dry dock, this was the largest and heaviest specimen the Two Oceans Aquarium rescue team has ever responded to.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a striking reminder of the incredible size these animals grow to,\u201d said Marine Wildlife Manager Martine Viljoen.<\/p>\n

As a result, the collaborative rescue effort<\/a> involved building a custom stretcher platform on site, and \u2018flying\u2019 the mola mola out of the dry dock.<\/p>\n

Getting the sunfish back into the ocean<\/p>\n

Once the platform was lowered into the dock, the Aquarium team<\/a> carefully guided the sunfish onto it. The crane then lifted the massive mola mola out of the dry dock and gently lowered it back into the sea beyond the dock\u2019s caisson door. <\/p>\n

Throughout the operation, the team closely monitored the sunfish\u2019s breathing and ensured water continued to flow over its gills.<\/p>\n

After re-entering the sea, rescuers swam alongside the sunfish, removing restraints and guiding it toward deeper, safer waters.<\/p>\n

Viljoen praised dock master Johan Coetzee and his team for alerting the Aquarium in time and helping make the complex rescue possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cA massive thank you to Teemane Cranes for generously donating their crane and operator time, making this rescue possible, and to Dock Master Johan Coetzee for alerting us to the sunfish\u2019s presence,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

Seeking safe harbour <\/p>\n

The Two Oceans Aquarium explained that during storms or rough sea conditions, sunfish often move into calmer waters, where they can become disoriented and end up trapped in harbour basins. <\/p>\n

These incidents occur almost every summer at Cape Town\u2019s V&A Waterfront and Simon\u2019s Town harbours.<\/p>\n