Dolphin mauled by shark at Manly's Shelly Beach clears hundreds from water at surf carnival

Hundreds of swimmers attending a surf carnival have been suddenly cleared from the water after a dolphin was mauled to death by a pack of bull sharks. 

The dolphin beached itself on Shelly Beach at around 8am on Saturday morning as hundreds gathered at the beach in Sydney’s north for the Manly Surf Carnival.

The dolphin could be seen slowly circling in the water in distress.

It’s believed to have sustained a tail injury as lifesavers attempted to save the animal’s life.

Surf Life Saving NSW said 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.’

The Manly Open Surf Classic include Ironman and Ironwoman events that involve paddle boards and swims past the breaks at Manly beach.

The event’s schedule had kids under 15-years-old competing in the water at around the time the dolphin was believed to have been mauled. 

Hundreds were expected to participate in events over the weekend, with many more casually swimming at the beaches. 

Source of data and images: dailymail