A pod of dolphins saved the life of a swimmer who was lost for about 12 hours off the coast of Ireland. The rescuers were drawn to the clever sea creatures, who ultimately located the tired guy and saved him!
A pod of dolphins aided a rescue party from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the hunt for a missing swimmer a few days ago. Despite being absent for 12 hours, the guy managed to live and was discovered by volunteers surrounded by a small group of bottlenose dolphins, according to the BBC.
“At 20:30, the Fenit RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew sighted a pod of dolphins with a head above the water about two and a half miles off Castlegregory beach,” rescuers said. “The victim was conscious and was quickly rescued by the lifeboat and sent to Fenit Harbour for treatment.”
The man, who did not provide his name, told the rescue crew that he planned to swim to a tiny rocky island five miles off the shore where his garments were first discovered. After a few beachgoers observed the man’s abandoned garments for many hours, officials were notified, and the hunt began.
The man was just “hypothermic and fatigued” after being lost at sea for so long, but he will soon recover. According to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, this dolphin species has only been observed off the Irish coast since 2019.
The rescuers, on the other hand, stated that this man was extremely fortunate to be recovered alive. They also increase awareness among those who travel into the sea, encouraging them to inform others.
“There were a lot of dolphins about when we noticed him,” RNLI Finbarr O’Connell told local media.
“Perhaps they assisted him in some way: who knows?! This was, nonetheless, a really fortunate guy.”