In this unbelievable video, a Bottlenose Dolphin in Hawaii, with limited mobility due to a hook and fishing line restricting it's pectoral fin, appears to approach a diver for help. Wild dolphins rarely approach divers and are actually rather cautious of humans unless habituated in some way
We were quite surprised by this heartwarming, "good news story" - but also curious as to the exact circumstances, for a wild dolphin to approach a diver like this without and fear and appearing so calm, is rather unusual. So we done done "Googling" around and it appears the video is legitimate. Some of the explanations for the strange, calm behavior of the dolphin include the possibility that the poor animal was just exhausted from trying to free itself that fear became a secondary instinct. The other theory is that the dolphin could have seen the humans as something new that it could "scratch" itself on in order to try and remove the fishing line and hook (after probably trying all sorts of other things to remove it) ....or it could be a case of very clever dolphin and simply understanding exactly what was happening....we like that option.
Regardless of the reasons for the dolphins behavior, whether it's actually asking for help or not, kudos to the divers for helping out and getting this incredible footage. Always nice to see humans helping out rather than the other "terrible stuff" we're often so good at.