Moment paddleboarders are left open-mouthed after playful dolphin surfaces just metres away from the group on the Welsh coast
The paddlers stood open-mouthed as a cheeky dolphin appeared next to them – almost, it looked like a porpoise.
Holidaymakers on Wales’ Cardigan coast experienced their encounter with the water in New Quay Bay.
The sighting was captured by zoologist Sarah Michelle Wyer, who works as a wildlife guide for Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips. Wyer, who has spent years studying marine life, regularly captures the dolphins in their natural habitat.
This sighting is one of many recent dolphin sightings in the area, much to the delight of locals and tourists alike.
The dolphins at New Quay are of the common bottlenose dolphin species – scientific name Tursiops truncatus. The Dolphins of Cardigan Bay website advises: ‘The chance of seeing dolphins at or near New Quay on any given day is high – especially in the summer when the sea is calm.
Paddleboarders stood open-mouthed as a cheeky dolphin appeared next to them
The sighting is one of many recent dolphin appearances in the area
‘Research from the University of Aberdeen has suggested that there may be as many as 127 dolphins living off the coast of Cardigan. However, other researchers have suggested that this number may be too high.’
In May, visitors to the Welsh coast were greeted with a spectacle over the long weekend, when a pod of bottlenose dolphins put on a show.
Boaters in New Quay Bay, Ceredigion, watched in awe on Saturday as the mammals leapt from the sea in extraordinary displays.
The dolphins took turns showing off their best moves and jumping out of the water, clearly visible to the tourists.
Sarah Michelle Wyer, a marine zoologist and guide for Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips, told the Mail at the time: ‘We don’t see them (bottlenose dolphins) on every trip we do, but when we do see them ‘perform’ it never gets old.
Bottlenose dolphins put on a show in May by jumping out of the sea at New Quay Bay in West Wales on a Saturday afternoon and entertaining people on a boat trip
Sarah Michelle Wyer, a marine zoologist and wildlife guide for Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips, previously told the Mail: ‘We don’t see them (bottlenose dolphins) on every trip we do, but when we do see them ‘perform’ it never gets old.
Bottlenose dolphins are commonly found along the west coast of Wales but can also be found throughout the UK
The dolphins took turns showing off their best moves and jumping out of the water, while the tourists could see them clearly.
Marine zoologist Sarah Michelle Wyer took the photos while working as a wildlife spotting guide with Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips
‘They are frustrating because they are so unpredictable, but visibility is better when the sea is better, like on Saturday.’
Ms Wyer, 30, described how the pod of about eight bottlenose dolphins was visible to people on the beach and to bystanders from the pier.
On the boat, the Ermol VI, Mrs Wyer was giving a tour of the bay when the dolphins started to go ‘crazy’.
As a zoologist, she described the bottlenose dolphins as “playful creatures” who “love to interact with boatloads of tourists.”
She added: ‘One guest said it was a dream of hers to cross off her bucket list: it’s really special to be part of this experience.’
