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Dolphin headed for shore in La Jolla stopped by bystanders

A dolphin headed toward the shore in La Jolla this week received some help from a few bystanders – and a paddleboarder captured footage.

SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — A dolphin headed toward the shore in La Jolla this week received some help from a few bystanders – and a paddleboarder captured footage. 

According to officials it's not the first time this week a dolphin tried to beach itself along the coast. 

Don Balch shot the video after a wayward dolphin beached itself in La Jolla. 

"I noticed this dolphin was way inside from where they usually are and I thought that's unusual," said Balch.  

"[Beachgoers] were right on it, they knew to turn him around, escort him out and one guy tried to cut  him off so he'd go out, but he went around him and went back in," he said  

They then tried again to get the dolphin back in the ocean. 

"This time he stayed, hopefully for good," said Balch. 

Balch then went out to check on the dolphin's progress. 

"I paddled out just to watch him and he came right up to my board. I thought he was going ram the board and he turned away," said Balch. "It was cool, it was cool." 

Fortunately that dolphin managed to stay in the ocean, but that wasn't the case in Encinitas. 

Two dolphins also arrived on shore Saturday afternoon, but died before lifeguards and SeaWorld could help. 

Earlier this week a third dolphin also beached itself. 

"It's very interesting, but confusing and definitely unfortunate and sad they weren't able to make it," said Eric Otjen from SeaWorld's rescue team. 
Encinitas lifeguards say they typically respond to one beaching every few years. 

Yet SeaWorld experts say they don't want to jump to any conclusions. 

"We've seen some different viruses that affect the dolphins and can cause death," said Otjen. "There's stuff out there, but we don't want to speculate on a reason why." 

Southwest Fisheries Science Center is expected to perform a necropsy to determine a cause of death and hopefully protect dolphins in the water. 

"The information we gather from these two dolphins and the ones before them help us in future dolphin strandings - why and how to treat them and what we can do to get them back out there," Otjen said. 

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