THIS is the shocking moment a dolphin attacked a swimmer and a woman off a pristine Japanese beach.
The man in his 60s suffered multiple broken ribs and bites to his hands as the furious dolphin unleashed its attack.
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The man was bitten multiple times on his hands and suffered broken ribs[/caption]
Twitter/@Ooo_MEN_A woman in a pink rubber ring was attacked as well[/caption]
The small beach town of Mihama, Japan, has witnessed a string of dolphin attacks in recent weeks.
Video taken by a beach-goer showed the swimmer attempting to head to shore as kayakers appeared to usher him through the water.
He seemed to struggle when suddenly, the grey fin of a dolphin appears and drags him under the waves.
The man surfaces moments later as the dolphin thrashes around, before turning back and continuing the attack.
Moments later, a woman floating in a pink rubber ring was attacked by what appears to be the same dolphin.
She frantically tried to swim away from the beast as it continued to nip at her flotation device.
Shocked beach-goers lined the sandy shores and watched as the attacks unfolded.
Another man in his 40s was bitten on the arm at the same beach that morning, and two more were injured later in the day.
The incident has sparked discussion online as to what has caused the seemingly unprovoked attacks.
At least six incidents have occurred off the coast of Fukui, according to local police.
Some scientists have suggested that dolphins become incredibly stressed while swimming alongside humans.
Others say their natural behaviour is interrupted when humans swim in close proximity, but the reason behind the recent attacks remains a mystery.
One user said: “Dolphins attacking innocent humans? What happened?”
Another observed: “It seems that the dolphins at Suishohama have been biting since last year.”
Signs have since been posted on the popular beach warning swimmers of the potentially dangerous mammals.
Earlier this year, a Brit was left fighting for her life after a dolphin almost ripped off her foot in Bolivia.
Claire Bye, 28, battled two life-threatening infections and needed 32 stitches after she was savaged by the pink river dolphin while swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma.
A video of the moment a dolphin attacked its trainer as shocked families as they watched on helplessly.
Sundance turned violent in front of terrified children and families during the Flipper show at the Miami Seaquarium.
The 23-year-old dolphin had lived at the aquarium for his entire life, but attempted to drown his trainer during the event.
Dolphins aren’t the only marine mammals attacking humans – Orca attacks have been on the rise on both boats and humans.
Last year, a “jealous” killer whale body slammed a trainer who was riding a female in front of him in horrifying footage.
In the sickening clip, Orky, a 12,000-pound male Orca, crushes SeaWorld trainer John Sillick under its weight as a terrified crowd watched on.
In 1991, marine biology student Keltie Byrne was brutally ripped apart by killer whales in front of horrified onlookers in Canada.
Keltie was the first person killed by the 5,700kg Orca when she slipped into the pool by accident.
Visitors to the attraction heard her scream: “I don’t want to die.”
Witnesses said Tilikum grabbed her as the two other Orcas prevented the park’s staff from reaching her.
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An ominous grey fin appeared before the brutal attack[/caption]
Twitter/@Ooo_MEN_Another man swam away quickly[/caption]
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The dolphin appeared to thrash the swimmer around[/caption]
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The dolphin’s fin kicked up a great amount of water[/caption]
