Dolphin Body-Slams Surfer, Proves They're Just As Clumsy As We Are

Some dolphins, it seems, are cursed with two left flippers.

This past Labor Day, Matt Minich was stand-up paddle-boarding with his buddy at a southern California beach when he saw three dolphins nearby lining up to surf a wave. Hoping to catch the wonderful moment, Minich turned on his GoPro camera to record.

"Once I got the camera on, I was thinking to myself, 'This is incredible,'" Minich told The Huffington Post. "'I am going to get a perfect video of these dolphins.'"

Minich filmed as the trio of dolphins surfed toward him, assuming they'd just pass right underneath him. Two of the dolphins did, but the third barreled right into Minich.

"The dolphin plowed into me and the side of my board and I went down hard," Minich told HuffPost. "It made a very loud bang, so much so I was worried about the dolphin right after the crash."

Luckily, Minich said, the dolphin appeared to make a last ditch effort to escape the situation.

"He torqued his body in mid-air trying to avoid me. If he hadn't done that I think we would have made full-body contact," Minich explained. "He may have saved my life with his action."

Below, watch the dolphin's rare, clumsy moment.