VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A very large Mola is free again after deputies in Volusia County helped the fish, which was trapped in shallow water near the shore on Monday afternoon.
Video posted to social media shows deputies approaching the giant ocean sunfish that appeared to be stuck on its side in just inches of water near the U.S. Coast Guard station in Ponce Inlet.
“See, he’s paddling with his bottom fin trying to go forward,” said a deputy captured on bodycam as he tried to free the giant fish.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
After several attempts at pulling on the fish, deputies finally used what looks like a rope to get leverage and drag the Mola into deeper water.
After several minutes, the fish slowly regains its bearings and swims away.
“He’s still good and alive,” the deputy can be heard saying.
From the tip of its snout, the average adult Mola is around 6 feet long and can weigh up to 2,200 pounds.
“These jelly-eating giants hold the record for being the world’s heaviest bony fish,” according to the website oceansunfish.org.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: