A dolphin-watching vessel has collided with a boat full of Outward Bound students in the Marlborough Sounds, injuring eight people.
Police say 11 students were paddling around Queen Charlotte Sound in a seven-metre long cutter, when a Dolphin Watch Ecotours boat approached at just after 2pm on Saturday.
A police spokesperson, Barbara Dunn, says the cutter was not far from Picton Harbour in Queen Charlotte Sound when the collision happened.
She says police understand that the Outward Bound students were signalling to the dolphin watch boat that they were on a collision course and they weren't seen nor were they in a position to take evasive action and get out of the way.
Dolphin Watch Ecotours says it has no idea how the crash happened, but it suspects the students' boat was outside its skipper's vision.
The company's director, Glen McNeilly, says the company has been operating for 14 years and has had only one previous incident.
Mr McNeilly declined to comment on the police description that his skipper "ran down" the cutter.
Eight students were injured and taken to Wellington Hospital and Wairau Hospital in Blenheim, and all except one had been discharged by Saturday night.
An Outward Bound spokesperson says it is organising counselling services for those involved in the incident.
No one on board the dolphin watching boat was injured.
Police say the seven metre long cutter was severely damaged.
It has been salvaged by a barge and taken to Picton.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission, the Maritime Safety Authority and Occupation Health and Safety are investigating the crash.
Police say it is too early to know whether charges will be laid.
