Hundreds of terrified swimmers flee the water while a pack of bloodthirsty sharks hunt and kill dolphins

HUNDREDS of terrified swimmers were forced to flee the water after a gang of bloodthirsty bull sharks chased down and killed a dolphin.

Spectators at the Manly Surf Carnival in Sydney, Australia, fell out of the ocean as the beasts pounced on the creature.

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Hundreds of people had packed Shelly Beach for a glimpse of the water sports on Saturday when chaos broke out.

Lifeguards were hastily leading swimmers out of the water when three-meter sharks reportedly searched the area around 8 a.m.

Surfers were minutes from entering the water when the shark alert sounded.

Competitors waiting to ride the waves were warned that the beasts were chasing an injured dolphin near shore.

The frightened sea mammal slowly circled in the water in distress while the bull sharks waited to pounce.

Brave viewer Emily Pettersson explained how she swam into the shallows to try to help the injured creature.

She told 9News: “I saw the dolphin swimming by on one side and I saw a shadow on the right.

“So I turned around and there was probably a bull shark about ten feet long. But he didn’t even look at me, he just walked towards the dolphin.”

The surf fan said she then told any stragglers who were still in the water to disembark as the bull shark pack was “still a little excited”.

She continued: “There would have been 200 swimmers in the water while the sharks were pacing.

“I think the dolphin was attacked by the shark, the fin was mangled, you could see it was falling off and it also had a bite mark on the side of the body.”

Swimmer Edwina Harrison added that the creature appeared “hurt and tired.”

The distressed dolphin then beached itself on the shore before swimmers and lifeguards dragged it onto the sand.

NSW surf lifesavers and members of the Organization for Whale Rescue and Research in Australia (ORRCA) placed a tarp over the mammal while they poured water on it.

Then Taronga Wildlife Hospital staff took over, but unfortunately the bottlenose dolphin died on the beach.

It had reportedly suffered severe bite wounds on its tail and abdomen.

A spokeswoman for Taronga Zoo said: “The deceased dolphin has since been transported to the Australian Wildlife Registry at Taronga Wildlife Hospital for an autopsy.”

The Manly Open Surf Classic schedule stipulated that if the dolphin was mistreated, under 15s should compete.

The event was suspended until further notice following the in-water incident while Shelly Beach was closed.

Surf Life Saving NSW said it will be closed until Sunday due to “an assessment that there are too many sharks in the area”.

They added in a statement, “A Surf Life Saving UAV has been monitoring shark activity from the air and has spotted a number of sharks in the area.”

Macquarie University wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta said while it was an emotional incident, it was “part of the natural ecosystem.”

She suggested that removing the dolphin could reduce the likelihood of more bull sharks flocking to the area.

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