By Steve Connor
London - It is every swimmer's nightmare. A dark, menacing shadow passes through the water a few metres away. Seconds later a gaping mouth full of razor-sharp teeth lunges at you.
Most people who experience a shark attack survive the encounter but Tyna Webb, 77, of Fish Hoek was not so lucky. Earlier in November she disappeared in a Great White attack.
A group of lifeguards training in New Zealand had a luckier escape. They recently reported that dolphins had come to their aid when a shark confronted them.
Little encouragement when he saw a Great White shark coming his way Ron Howes was on a training swim with his 15-year-old daughter and two of her friends. He realised something was wrong when bottlenose dolphins suddenly began herding the swimmers together and circling protectively around them.
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When Howes broke out of the circle, two of the larger dolphins tried to coral him back in. He needed little encouragement when he saw a Great White shark coming his way.
Marine biologists believe the dolphins were probably applying a natural defensive posture that they use to protect themselves and their young from predators.
Eye-witness accounts of shark attacks bear testimony to the fear they can generate. Dunstan Hogan, 49, was surfing off Cape St Francis in April 2001 when he was nearly killed.
"The attack came without warning. I was lying on my surfboard when I saw this grey mass and thrashing tail fin approach. And suddenly I felt this enormous pressure, like being gripped in a vice," Hogan later recalled.
Wetsuit kept his insides from spilling out - he needed 462 stitches "The shark wrapped its teeth in a half moon over my left thigh, buttock and hip, along with the underside of the surfboard."
"It lifted the board and me clear of the water. It then released me before biting into me again, getting the back of the board again too, and dragging me several feet under water."
Thanks to emergency treatment, Hogan survived the encounter, as did Rodney Fox, an Australian spear-fishing champion who in 1963 survived probably the worst non-lethal shark attack in history.
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