‘Shark was circling me and I was waiting to die – then dolphins saved my life’

A man who was attacked by a shark said he was waiting to die before being saved by a group of dolphins.

Martin Richardson was swimming in the Red Sea in Egypt when he was bitten five times by a mako shark. Believing he wasn't going to make it Richardson said he "gave up" – but then something incredible happened.

Appearing on National Geographic's new show "Saved from a Shark", he said: "There was no reason for the shark to stop.

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"I had lost approximately 5 pints (2.8L) of blood. You only have 8 to 9 [pints] (4.5-5L) in your body. I was waiting for a feeding frenzy… I knew it was circling me… I turned away and looked at the mountains. I gave up."

It was then that the pod appeared behind Richardson and the attack came to an abrupt end.

Shortly afterwards a boat, which had been racing to get to Richardson before the shark did, swooped in and rushed him to hospital, where he received more than 300 stitches.

"I firmly believe the dolphins saved my life," he added.

Stories of heroic dolphins saving people from ocean predators have been told many times over.

But while the tale may be heart-warming, experts have cast doubt over whether the marine mammals really have humans' best interests at heart, as they may have in fact been protecting themselves.

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Mike Heithaus, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University, told the show: "The dolphins see a big cloud of blood, they know a shark is in the area."

Heithaus said if the creatures had young, they might have suspected the shark was looking to attack their babies and go on the offensive.

"They may not have been trying to save Martin," he added.

Heithaus added one of the most bizarre stories of people interacting with dolphins occurred when a group of lifeguards were swimming in the sea off the coast of New Zealand.

One of the lifeguards, Rob Howes, told the programme a pod suddenly surrounded them and one of the larger males appeared to charge at him.

Little did the swimmers know a great white shark had been stalking them, and the dolphin was in fact going after the marine beast.

Heithaus said there have been many cases of dolphins and even whales protecting humans, but in most cases this wasn't out of love for mankind.

But for the lifeguards in New Zealand, he told Live Science: "This is one case where it really seemed like the dolphins were protecting people."

"Saved From a Shark" premieres on Disney+, Hulu, and National Geographic on July 2.

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