DOLPHIN POD HELP SAVES STRANDED SWIMMER BY ALERTING RESCUE CREW

As we all know, Dolphins are one of the most intelligent creatures. But not only are they known for their brains but also for their compassionate side towards humans.  

There are countless stories of how dolphins are the protectors of humans. We all have heard several stories of dolphins lending people a helping flipper from warning off great white sharks to saving kids from drowning. One recent heart-warming story happened in Ireland where a pod of dolphins helped rescue a stranded swimmer in the sea near Castlegregory in County Kerry.

On 22 August, the unnamed man from County Down, was missing for almost 12 hours before he was rescued by Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat volunteers.

Earlier in the day, after the swimmer went missing, the rescue team underwent an extensive search when his clothes had been discovered on Castlegregory beach.  After almost a full day of searching the waters for the swimmer, the lifeboat crew spotted a pod of dolphins surrounding the swimmer about two and a half miles off the coast. 

When the team arrived they found the swimmer conscious, but he was “hypothermic and exhausted.” After returning to shore, the man was transported to the hospital where he is now fully recovering. 

The man told the RNLI that he initially intended to swim out to Mucklaghmore Rock, which is five miles out from where he started off at Castlegregory beach. But unfortunately he became stranded and freezing while only wearing his swimsuit. 

The group dolphins that was surrounding the swimmer was identified as a population of bottlenose dolphins living in Scotland's Moray Firth who has been in the area since 2019.  RNLI coxswain Finbarr O'Connell says there were “a lot of dolphins around” where the man was finally located. He added, “Maybe they helped him in some way or another: who knows?”

Click here to read the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat volunteers' statement post on their Facebook account : https://www.facebook.com/FenitRNLI/photos/a.292959515907/10159741050235908