A group of beachgoers at Sugar Beach in Maui spotted a distressed Risso's dolphin last week. Their attempts to help it were thwarted when they spotted what they thought was a shark and the dolphin swam away.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning. The beachgoers called officials at the Pacific Whale Foundation and Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. A group of people in the water held the dolphin upright so it could breathe for several hours, said Anne Rillero, foundation1 spokeswoman.

At around 11 a.m., the team believed they saw a shark in the water, Rillero said. The dolphin became agitated and swam away.

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