'Dolphins saved me from sharks'

A fisherman has told how dolphins saved his life as he clung to an upturned dinghy for 40 hours off the coast of Australia.

Recovering in hospital after his ordeal, Grant Dickson, 36, said the school of dolphins chased off a circling shark.

Mr Dickson and his deckhand mate, Tasmanian Benjamin Healy, 19, scrambled on to a damaged dinghy as their prawn trawler sank east of Queensland last Friday.

Skipper Dale Robert Speck, 43, is lost, believed drowned. Mr Healy tried to swim to safety but despite a massive air and sea search has not been found.

Mr Dickson said about 30 sharks had followed the trawler Eastern Leader during the night before it sank in rough seas. Hesaid one continually circled as he huddled on the partly-submerged dinghy.

"I was worried I was bleeding too much and the blood would attract the shark and that would be it. But the dolphins came to my rescue and chased away the shark. They saved my life."

The fisherman, from Innisfail in north Queensland, said the boat's trawl line had snagged on seaweed and sank "in five seconds". He said he and Mr Healy managed to climb on the dinghy to get out of the water and away from the sharks.

He said he tried to stop his friend from leaving but just before daybreak on Saturday Mr Healy swam away. "He said, 'mate I can't stand it any longer'. He was almost trancelike and there was nothing I could do." He said 15 years at sea had taught him that staying with the current gave the best hope of survival.

Mr Dickson was finally rescued by the cruise ship MV Reef Endeavour on Saturdayafter drifting 40 nautical miles.

Searchers yesterday located debris from the trawler but failed to find any trace of the missing men.