Fishermen Rescue Exhausted Kangaroo Found 2 Miles Out at Sea

October 26, 2026

A group of Australian fishermen got the surprise of a lifetime when they spotted a kangaroo struggling in the water nearly 2 miles from shore. The crew quickly came to the animal’s rescue, giving the exhausted marsupial a much-needed ride back to land.

Credit: Jake Murray / ABC News Australia

Jake Murray and his fellow fishermen were out on Boston Bay near Port Lincoln, South Australia, when their skipper, Ryan Smith, spotted something unusual in the water.

“He’s like, ‘I reckon there’s a roo in the water.’ And we’re like, ‘Yeah, sure. All right, Ryan, sure,’” Murray said.

“So we doubled back to check it out and yeah — it was a bloody roo in the water!”

The male kangaroo was estimated to be about 2 miles offshore, and it was clear the animal had been swimming for quite some time.

Fortunately, the fishermen weren't about to leave him to fend for himself.

The crew lowered the boat’s sea door to water level, allowing them to reach down and carefully lift the struggling kangaroo aboard.

Murray, a farmer and diver who is accustomed to dealing with wildlife, found himself in an experience unlike any other.

Once the kangaroo was safely on board, he held the animal close, keeping its powerful legs under control while helping it remain calm.

“He’s obviously been swimming around for a while,” Murray explained. “He was pretty knackered, pretty waterlogged.”

The exhausted kangaroo seemed more than happy to accept the unexpected assistance.

“Honestly, I was just kind of cradling him there for a while, and it was almost like he was having a little nap,” Murray told ABC News Australia.

For the crew, it was a remarkable encounter. Even Murray, who was familiar with kangaroos around the area's beaches and shallows, couldn't explain how this one had ended up so far from land.

“I've seen them around the area, like in shallows, at surf beaches — but in the middle of the bay, yeah, never in my wildest dreams would I think I'd see that.”

Fortunately, the kangaroo had picked a day when the water was unusually calm, which may have helped the fishermen spot him.

“If it was any other conditions we might not have seen him,” Murray told 7 News Adelaide.

After safely transporting their unusual passenger back to shore, the fishermen watched as the kangaroo sat on the beach for a while before finally hopping away.