WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A pod of dolphins saved a group of swimmers from a predatory 10-foot great white shark off the northern New Zealand coast, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

The unusual incident occurred Oct. 30 when lifeguard Rob Howes took his 15-year-old daughter Niccy and two of her friends swimming near the town of Whangarei, The Northern Advocate said.

The dolphins, "started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howes told the newspaper. When Howes tried to break away from the protective group, two of the bigger dolphins herded him back, he said.

Howes then spotted what he described as a 10-foot great white shark cruising toward them, but the man-eater was apparently repelled by the ring of dolphins and swam away.

"It was only about six feet away from me, the water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face," he said.

Howes realized what the dolphins were doing: "They had corralled us up to protect us."

Another lifeguard, Matt Fleet, on patrol in a lifeboat, saw the dolphins circling the swimmers and slapping their tails on the water to keep them in place. Fleet told the newspaper he also had a clear sighting of the shark.

"Some of the people later on the beach tried to tell me it was just another dolphin but I knew what I saw," he said.

Ingrid Visser, who has been studying marine mammals for 14 years, told the newspaper that there have been reports from around the world of dolphins protecting swimmers. She said that in this case the dolphins probably sensed the humans were in danger and took action to protect them.

Visser, of the group Orca Research, said dolphins will attack sharks to protect themselves and their young. Source.

I think this is junk

It's like saying my dog loves me, giving human personality to animals, dogs don't love people, they just know where their food and security come from. people really are sad.

Humans are capable of inductive and deductive reasoning, abstract thinking, etc.
Dolphins are capable of swimming in circles.

And if they're so smart, why do they get caught in fishing nets all the time?

They are not "shortly behind" us. They were still swimming in circles while we were flying to the moon.

If we're so smart, how come me murder millions of our own kind in war, allow ourselves to be brainwashed by fundamentalist religion, vote republican, show such intollerance to each other, and mug old ladies for their loaves of bread?

I vote Republican, and I consider myself to be very smart.
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When it comes down to it, they're just as self-centered as the next creature. 
Humans are actually capable of being the least self-centered of all life forms.

Dolphins are mostly concerned about their next meal.

I think this is junk, why do people what the whole world to revolve around them, Dolphins could give a crap about people. like your dog wouldn't give a crap about you unless you feed it. Dolphins swim in a pod for protection, from sharks, sharks don't attack dolphind because they pod and defend their young. It's like saying my dog loves me, giving human personality to animals, dogs don't love people, they just know where their food and security come from. people really are sad. Now those people who said that about the dolphins are gonna go have a can of tuna, or haddock or shrimp whos industry destroy millions of dolphins and other unwanted catch fish and laugh and say how stupid why would an animal want to save the thing that is killing them. irony, really bad humor, very untasteful joke.
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Wow. Great argument. You win. *rolls eyes*

I vote Republican, and I consider myself to be very smart.
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i've lived in hawaii for 9 years and never seen a dolphins

Humans are the most self centred and self obssessed life forms on the planet.

Coyote agrees. Dolphins are smart and delicious