Sharks, whales, and dolphins

A whale biologist in the Cook Islands had an amazing encounter with a 50,000-pound humpback whale, which she believes protected her from a predatory tiger shark. Not everyone believes marine mammals are quite so altruistic, as this article about dolphins indicates, but then there are some beautiful stories, such as this one about a diver who was protected from an Atlantic hammerhead shark by four dolphins that he apparently knew. This story is about a surfer, Todd Endris, who was attacked by a 12-15 foot great white shark at Marina State Park off Monterey, CA. He was badly injured and ended up losing half of his blood. He says that a pod of dolphins circled him, keeping the shark at bay and giving him time to get back on his board and make for the shore. Here is the story in his own words.