Men shocked to discover 'stranded dolphin' was actually a shark

A British man who thought he was helping a stranded dolphin back into the ocean was stunned to learn the creature was actually a shark.

Nicolas Andre, 49, spotted the stranded four metre creature struggling in shallow waters while walking along a coastal path in Cornwall, in south-west England, with his wife Ann, 57.

"The beach had no access, but I legged it down the hill anyway. I started to help the man there, and I realised that it was not a dolphin but a basking shark of about four-metres in length," Mr Andre told SWNS.

He then wrapped his t-shirt around the shark's tail and helped pull it into deeper water.

"It took a few attempts to pull it into the sea as we were waiting for the waves. When it was back in the water, I took my t-shirt off the tail and it was a like a switch had been flicked – the shark just flew off," he said.

Despite suffering cuts to his arms and legs while performing the good deed, Mr Andre said the shark did not feel aggressive or dangerous.

"For me it was just a matter of trying to get it back into the water as soon as possible. It was amazing to actually feel a shark and to then see it going back into the water. It made me feel great," he said.