Dolphins spotted off the coast of Eastbourne

Andrew Richard Vine shared the footage of the pod of Bottlenose dolphins 10 miles south of Eastbourne yesterday morning (Sunday, July 18).

The Bottlenose dolphin is the most familiar dolphin and commonly seen from coastlines around the world.

It is much larger than many dolphin species, reaching almost four metres in length.

Sussex Dolphin Project retweeted the footage.

On its site the charity said the Sussex coastline is one of the most poorly studied habitats for whales and dolphins in England. However, it said, “Recently, we have been getting more and more sightings reported to us.”

The charity posted on Twitter with the footage, “What better way to enjoy calm seas and a hot sun than a visit from a pod of dolphins?”

Thea Taylor, Sussex Dolphin Project lead, said, “This time of year is a great time to be out on the water as we are getting significant numbers of Bottlenose Dolphin sightings all along the coast.

“These animals do pass through Sussex waters all year round but are most commonly found here between May to September as they follow their prey inshore to warmer waters.

“Bottlenose dolphins are generally curious and love to interact with boats on the water. They are often seen playing in the wave created as the boat moves along.

“Eastbourne is a particular hotspot for Harbour Porpoise sightings, but we have received sightings of all our key species in the area from Bottlenose and Common Dolphins through to White-Beaked Dolphins, which tend to be sighted in deeper water.

“We are currently enjoying record numbers of sightings and would urge anyone that spots marine mammals to report them to us via our social profiles or our website where we have also published Marine Mammal Interaction Guidelines to enable safe dolphin watching.”