Boat ride off the California coast turns bloody after a crazed dolphin jumps on board crashing into several family members.

In a bizarre oceanic incident two weeks ago a dolphin leaped into a boat off the California coast injuring members of the family on board, BBC reported Thursday.

Dick Frickman described the chaos that ensued when the dolphin jumped on board, knocking him over and landing on his wife Chrissie, who broke both her ankles. Their daughter was also punched in the face.

The dolphin, meanwhile, suffered cuts on its tail and nose from the jump, and left quite a bit of blood behind in the boat.

Frickman managed to keep the mammal alive by simultaneously splashing it with water as he steered the vessel back to shore.

"I was letting go of the wheel every 30 seconds to a minute and slowing down and pouring water on her," he told Californian news site OC Register.

Upon reaching shore, Frickman was able to pull his wife out from under the 150 kilogram (around 330 pound) dolphin, whereupon he phoned local harbor patrol.

"I could hear my phone buzzing and beeping on the floor - it was covered in blood," he said.

At the Orange Country harbor, Frickman, with the help of two other people and some rope, were able to release the dolphin back into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

"The dolphin was hopefully saved," he said, adding: "It swam away with no problem."