A seal tried to ward off a great white shark from striking twice as a swimmer mauled off a tourist beach in South Africa was dragged ashore, the man's rescuers say.
Watch more: Shark bites legs off swimmer
British resident Michael Cohen was attacked within seconds of plunging into the water at Fish Hoek near Cape Town yesterday.
The 42-year-old had ignored warning signs — including a shark flag — saying the beach was closed.
Mr Cohen lost his right leg above the knee and his left foot in the vicious attack. He was pulled to shore by two bystanders.
Witnesses said a seal circled the men as the shark appeared to prepare for a second strike, the Daily Mail reports.
Hugh Till, one of the two men who ran to Mr Cohen's aid, was quoted saying: "It occurred to us afterwards how unusual it was for a seal to stick around in an area where a shark is, or where there is blood.
"It really did feel to us as though he was offering support to us, and was prepared to act as a diversion if the shark went after us as well."
His rescuers used a belt and wetsuit shorts to tie an improvised tourniquet around the stricken swimmer's legs to stop the bleeding.
Mr Cohen, an accountant who moved to South Africa with his family several years ago, reportedly was a regular swimmer at Fish Hoek and often ignored warnings to stay out of the water.
But South Africa's Daily News website, citing an official incident report, also said that the beach's shark spotter was unable to sound an alarm, after watching Mr Cohen enter the water, due to city-wide power cuts during the middle of the day.
Mr Cohen's femoral artery and vein both were severed in the shark attack and he required seven litres of blood on arrival at hospital.
He remains in a critical condition.
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