Paddleboarders were left speechless as a cheeky dolphin appeared alongside them, almost looking like a porpoise.
Holidaymakers on Wales’ Cardigan coast had their closest encounter with water at New Quay Bay.
The sighting was documented 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 dolphins in their natural habitat.
The sighting is one of many recent dolphin appearances in the area, delighting locals and tourists alike.
The dolphins at New Quay are of the common bottlenose variety, whose scientific name is Tursiops truncatus. The Dolphins of Cardigan Bay website reports: “The chances of seeing dolphins at or near New Quay on any given day are good, especially in summer when the sea is calm.
Paddleboarders were left speechless when a cheeky dolphin appeared alongside them.
The sighting is one of many recent dolphin appearances in the area.
‘A study by the University of Aberdeen suggests there could be as many as 127 dolphins off the Cardigan coast, although other researchers have suggested this number may have been inflated.’
In May, visitors to the Welsh coast were greeted with a spectacle over the bank holiday weekend, when a pod of bottlenose dolphins put on a display.
Boat trippers in New Quay Bay, Ceredigion, watched in amazement as the mammals leapt from the sea in extraordinary scenes on Saturday.
The dolphins took turns showing off their best moves, jumping out of the water in full view of the tourists.
Sarah Michelle Wyer, a marine zoologist and wildlife 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 ‘performing’, it never gets old.
Bottlenose dolphins put on a show in May, leaping out of the sea at New Quay Bay in west Wales on a Saturday afternoon to entertain 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 go on, but when we do see them ‘performing’ it never gets old.
Bottlenose dolphins are commonly found along the west coast of Wales, but are found throughout the UK.
The dolphins took turns showing off their best moves, jumping out of the water in full view of the tourists.
Marine zoologist Sarah Michelle Wyer took the photographs while working as a wildlife guide for 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 around eight bottlenose dolphins was visible to those on the beach and spectators from the pier.
On the boat, the Ermol VI, Ms Wyer was giving a tour of the bay when the dolphins started “going crazy”.
As a zoologist, she described bottlenose bears as “playful creatures” who “love to interact with boatloads of tourists.”
She added: ‘One guest said they crossed a dream off their bucket list – it’s really special to be part of the experience.’
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