From the New Zealand Herald - full story on
http://tinyurl.com/6m7ul
===
Dolphins saved us from shark, lifeguards say
24.11.2004
By AINSLEY THOMSON
A pod of dolphins is being credited with saving a group of lifeguards
from a circling great white shark.
Lifeguard Rob Howes, his daughter Niccy, 15, Karina Cooper, 15, and
Helen Slade, 16, were swimming 100m out to sea at Ocean Beach, near
Whangarei, when seven bottlenose dolphins sped towards them and herded
them together.
"They were behaving really weird," Mr Howes said, "turning tight circles
on us, and slapping the water with their tails."
Mr Howes and Helen Slade had drifted about 20m away from the others when
a dolphin swam straight at them and dived a few metres in front of them.
"I turned in the water to see where it was going to come up, but instead
I saw this great big grey fish swim around me," said Mr Howes.
The veteran lifeguard said it was undoubtedly a 3m-long great white
shark.
"It glided around in an arc and headed for the other two girls. My heart
went into my mouth, because one of them was my daughter. The dolphins
were going ballistic."
The 47-year-old said the dolphins herded the swimmers - who are all
members of the Whangarei Heads Surf Lifesaving Club - back together and
circled protectively around them for another 40 minutes, fending off the
shark.
===
The rest of the story is on
http://tinyurl.com/6m7ul