KhanhHoa (VNS/VNA) – A large dolphin has paid a rare visit to the shallowwaters of Cam Ranh Bay in the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.
At first, swimmers thought it was a shark when they saw its fin andscrambled to get out of the water, but when Alma Resort lifeguards confirmed itwas a dolphin, visitors relaxed and remarked they felt lucky towitness the moment.
“It’s not every day you get to swim near a dolphin in crystal clearconditions,” said Nguyen Ngoc Tan, who filmed the dolphin this week,saying the mammal seemed “fearless yet friendly” as he and his fellowlifeguards approached it via jet ski.
Estimating it to be 3.5m long, Tan and his colleagues said the mammalappeared weak and may have been slightly injured before coming closer to theshoreline. It later swam back to deeper areas.
The lifeguards have spoken with various wildlife conservation and researchgroups, including the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and EndangeredSpecies, to inform them about the sighting.
“Schools of dolphins were recently sighted a little bit further out in nearbyNha Trang’s seas but we’ve never seen a dolphin this close to the shorebefore,” Alma’s general manager Herbert Laubichler-Pichler said. “The dolphinsmay be attracted to calmer waters as a resultof less tourism activity in the wake of COVID-19”./.