Kayakers have reported that they were compelled to rescue swimmers when Reggie, the bottlenose dolphin, began to “basically drown” two women. Reggie became an internet sensation after joining swimmers for an early morning dip earlier this month, having become a regular sight in Lyme Bay, Dorset.
Arriving in February, he has since sustained an injury, thought to be caused by a boat propeller. UK marine conservation charity ORCA has warned that someone could even be killed if the dolphin becomes aggressive and has urged people to keep their distance.
Rhys Paterson, 32, a kayaker, claimed he was forced to step in, along with another boater, when the dolphin started jumping on top of a woman swimming off the beach in Lyme Regis, Dorset, repeatedly pushing her head under the water.
Footage reveals the swimmer exclaiming, “It scared me to death! Oh my goodness!” before being submerged under the waves on Thursday, August 14.
Rhys, a development director from Lyme Regis, stated that the filmed incident was not the only confrontation and the dolphin seemed to be “targeting women in wetsuits”.
“We saved two swimmers who were fairly deep, where the dolphin kept jumping on them,” he said. “The dolphin was basically drowning this woman – it kind of jumped on her back four times.”
Describing how he and his brother, Gareth, came across the scene, Mr Paterson said: “We had been following the dolphin for a little bit, because obviously, it’s quite a local legend at the minute. But when we realised it wasn’t playing it was quite a big shock.
“People need to understand that it’s not an amusement arcade. It’s a wild animal. It can snap all of a sudden if it wants to.”
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has issued a warning to the public to keep their distance from the solitary dolphin. The organisation stated that human interaction can cause dolphins to lose their natural wariness, leading to ‘injury or death’.