Dolphins Save Swimmer From Shark Attack

Martin Richardson went for a swim among dolphins but found they were much more than gentle playmates. They can be lifesavers.

Richardson, a 27-year-old Briton, was swimming in the Red Sea off Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula when he was attacked by a shark.

Companions aboard a diving boat heard him scream. They then watched as three bottlenose dolphins encircled the wounded man, flapping their fins and tails and scaring off the shark.

This defensive behavior of dolphins is common when mothers are protecting their calves from predators, experts say.

The dolphins continued to circle until Richardson’s companions reached him.

Richardson, of Colchester, England, suffered bites in the left shoulder, stomach and back, including one that slightly punctured his lung, Dr. Emad Allam said.