Dolphins Protect New Zealand Swimmers from Shark

Dom · Nov 23, 2004, 04:16 PM

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A pod of dolphins circled protectively round a group of New Zealand swimmers to fend off an attack by a great white shark, media reported on Tuesday.

Lifesavers Rob Howes, his 15-year-old daughter Niccy, Karina Cooper and Helen Slade were swimming 300 feet off Ocean Beach near Whangarei on New Zealand's North Island when the dolphins herded them -- apparently to protect them from a shark.

"They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howes told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).

Howes tried to drift away from the group, but two of the bigger dolphins herded him back just as he spotted a nine-foot great white shark swimming toward the group.

"I just recoiled. It was only about 2 m away from me, the water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face," Howes said, referring to a distance of 6 feet.

"They had corralled us up to protect us," he said.

The lifesavers spent the next 40 minutes surrounded by the dolphins before they could safely swim back to shore. The incident happened on October 30, but the lifesavers kept the story to themselves until now.

Environment group Orca Research said dolphins attacked sharks to protect themselves and their young, so their actions in protecting the lifesavers was understandable.

"They could have sensed the danger to the swimmers and taken action to protect them," Orca's Ingrid Visser told NZPA.

-Y! News

Dexsal · Nov 24, 2004, 06:48 AM

Wow' now thats something. No wonder people get up set when Dolphins die in fishing nets

Callandor · Nov 24, 2004, 07:17 AM

kewl......

mainman · Nov 24, 2004, 07:45 AM

OMFG!! Now that is an amazing story!!!!

Danhill · Nov 24, 2004, 08:16 AM

Amazing creaturers those dolphins are.

Drakon · Nov 24, 2004, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danhill

Amazing creaturers those dolphins are.

I agree, i think they're magnificant.

Nov 23, 2004, 04:16 PM	#1
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Dolphins Protect New Zealand Swimmers from Shark WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A pod of dolphins circled protectively round a group of New Zealand swimmers to fend off an attack by a great white shark, media reported on Tuesday. Lifesavers Rob Howes, his 15-year-old daughter Niccy, Karina Cooper and Helen Slade were swimming 300 feet off Ocean Beach near Whangarei on New Zealand's North Island when the dolphins herded them -- apparently to protect them from a shark. "They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howes told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA). Howes tried to drift away from the group, but two of the bigger dolphins herded him back just as he spotted a nine-foot great white shark swimming toward the group. "I just recoiled. It was only about 2 m away from me, the water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face," Howes said, referring to a distance of 6 feet. "They had corralled us up to protect us," he said. The lifesavers spent the next 40 minutes surrounded by the dolphins before they could safely swim back to shore. The incident happened on October 30, but the lifesavers kept the story to themselves until now. Environment group Orca Research said dolphins attacked sharks to protect themselves and their young, so their actions in protecting the lifesavers was understandable. "They could have sensed the danger to the swimmers and taken action to protect them," Orca's Ingrid Visser told NZPA. -Y! News

Nov 24, 2004, 07:17 AM	#3
Callandor Forged on Dragonmount Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 7,244 Rep Power: 304 System Specs	kewl...... __________________

Nov 24, 2004, 07:45 AM	#4
mainman Mr. Nobody Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: OmniPresent Nightwatcher Posts: 5,961 Rep Power: 71	OMFG!! Now that is an amazing story!!!! __________________

Nov 24, 2004, 08:16 AM	#5
Danhill DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 4,112 Rep Power: 0	Amazing creaturers those dolphins are. __________________ MOBO: [color=white]ASUS A8N-SLI Premium[/color] CPU: AMD 64 3200+ (Venice) @ 2,50 Ghz MEM: 2 x 512 DDR 466, VGA: 2 x 6600 GT in SLI, HDD1: WD Raptor HDD2: Maxtor Diamond Plus 9, Case: Antec Plus View 1080, PSU: ThermalTake PurePower 500W, MX 1000, Dell 2001 FP, Aud. 2 SZ

Nov 24, 2004, 06:48 AM	#2
Dexsal Space Monocerotis Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aust Posts: 1,401 Rep Power: 0	Wow' now thats something. No wonder people get up set when Dolphins die in fishing nets