WATCH | Heartbreaking footage of man trying to save beached dolphin

Heartbreaking footage showing a man trying to save a beached dolphin for more than an hour in the Eastern Cape has surfaced online.

Paul Gardiner found the beached dolphin during a 15km beach run between the Fish River Sun and Kleinemonde Beach in the Eastern Cape on December 27.

Gardiner posted the video on his Facebook page. “I desperately tried to save this tired fella between Kleinemond and Fish River, no luck unfortunately,” he wrote.

He told MyPE.co.za: “The dolphin was clearly alive and I was alone on a rainy beach and despite that, I decided to jump in and try to get him back in the water.

“I struggled for about an hour to save this magnificent creature and propped my cellphone on the sand to capture the footage, hoping that the ending would be a triumph.”

Gardiner dragged the dolphin into the ocean several times but the waves keeps bringing it back ashore. He was alone and feared the ocean’s rip tide might suck him in.

As night approached, he was forced to stop his rescue attempts.