RZSL A woman aboard a small pleasure cruiser was seriously injured yesterday by a dolphin which leapt into the craft off the coast of New Zealand.

The 27-year-old was watching the mammals near Slipper Island in the North Island's eastern Bay of Plenty when the attack was made. The dolphin smashed through the boat's windscreen and fell on top of the woman before flipping overboard again to swim away unharmed.

As well as her injuries, the victim suffered a heart attack before being airlifted to hospital in Aukland. According to The Marlborough Express, she is in intensive care in a "serious condition".

The dolphin apparently hadn't seen the boat as it leapt. A spokesman for Auckland Rescue Helicopters said: "I've never heard of a dolphin hitting someone on a boat. You can't even catch them on lures when you go game fishing. They're too smart." ®