Tuna Tossing - another strange thing to throw

My last post concerning the great Australian sport of Water Melon Skiing prompted an e-mail from Wayne Skipadoo (Strange Games Antipodean correspondent). In it he detailed the exciting sport of Tuna Tossing.
The Tuna Tossing World Championship occurs annually at the Tunarama Festival in Port Lincoln, Australia. A rope loop is attached to the head of a 10kg frozen tuna then contestants simply grab this and using whatever means they feel like throw it as far as possible. Most people manage only a few metres...the world record is an accomplished 37.23 metres. Other events include the 3kg Kingfish toss for children aged 11-15 and bizarrely a 'prawn toss' for little children. And to make sure it is environmentally friendly the tunas used are ones caught in nets that don't harm dolphins. Thank you Wayne.


strange games: no 106
weird web: tunarama festival - the tuna tossers mecca

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is incorrect to say that the contestants throw the tuna by the tail.
It is actually held by means of a rope handle, secured just behind the gills of the fish, or in the case of the rubber substitute, by a loop of rope fixed to the head of the fish.
Attempting to throw it by the tail would cause severe cuts to the hands, due to the sharpness of the fins of a tuna. Just look at the picture above for verification of that.