Hundreds of horrified swimmers forced to flee water as pack of bloodthirsty sharks chase and kill dolphin

HUNDREDS of horrified 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, rushed out of the ocean as the beasts pounced on the creature.

Hundreds of people had packed out Shelly Beach on Saturday to get a glimpse of the watersports when chaos erupted.

Lifeguards hastily ushered swimmers out of the water amid reports three-metre bull sharks were trawling the area at around 8am.

Surfers were just mere minutes from entering the water when the shark alarm sounded.

Competitors waiting to ride the waves were warned that the beasts were hunting down an injured dolphin close to the shore.

The terrified marine mammal was seen slowly circling in the water in distress as the bull sharks waited to pounce.

Brave bystander Emily Pettersson explained how she swam into the shallows to try and assist the injured creature.

She told 9News: "I saw the dolphin swim past on one side and I saw a shadow on the right side.

"So I turned around and there's probably about a three metre bull shark. But it wasn't even looking at me, it was just going for the dolphin."

The surfing fan said she then urged any stragglers still in the water to get out as the pack of bull sharks were "still a bit agitated".

She continued: "There would have been 200 swimmers in the water with the sharks going up and down.

"I think the dolphin had been attacked by the shark, the fin was mangled, you could see it was falling off and it had a bite mark on the side of the body as well."

Swimmer Edwina Harrison added that the creature appeared to be "injured and tired."

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

NSW surf lifesavers and members of the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) placed a tarp over the mammal while pouring water on it.

Staff from the Taronga Wildlife Hospital then took over, but the bottlenose dolphin sadly passed away on the beach.

According to reports, it had sustained severe bite wounds to its tail and abdomen.

A spokeswoman for Taronga Zoo said: "The deceased dolphin has since been transported to the Australian Wildlife Registry based at Taronga Wildlife Hospital to undergo a necropsy."

The Manly Open Surf Classic's schedule suggested under-15s were due to compete when the dolphin was mauled.

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

Surf Life Saving NSW said it would be shut until Sunday as "the assessment’s been made there are too many sharks in the area".

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

Macquarie University wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta said although it was an emotional incident, it was "part of the natural ecosystem."

She suggested the removal of the dolphin could reduce the chance of more bull sharks flocking to the area.