A DOLPHIN was spotted yesterday morning by a group of paddleboarders and gave them “one of the most special” experiences of their lives.

The dolphin was first spotted by Erin Young and her partner, Lee Wilson, between Rockwater Hove and West Pier and spent almost an hour catching fish and playing around the paddleboarders.

Erin Young, from Brighton, said the experience was "incredible".

She said: “We set off for a paddle board at about 7.30am this morning, not far out. I saw a black arch curve through the water.

The Argus: The curious bottlenose dolphin.The curious bottlenose dolphin.

“I thought it was a swimmer at first, then realised it was a dolphin. We got a little closer, but still trying to give him distance, then he just came straight up to us.

“Two more paddleboarders joined us and the dolphin spent about 40 minutes playing around us, catching fish, and diving under our boards. He was huge, much larger than I would have expected and very curious!

“He kept turning on his side to look up at me as he went under my board. Definitely in touching distance but I didn’t want to get quite that close to something so wild and powerful.”

The Argus: Stuart Eatenton's picture of the dolphin, along with his blissfully unaware dog.Stuart Eatenton's picture of the dolphin, along with his blissfully unaware dog.

Erin said she has lived in Brighton for the last 27 years and always heard of dolphin sightings but never saw one herself, but yesterday that would change.

She added: “One of the most special and incredible experiences of my life to be honest.”

 

Thea Taylor, Sussex Dolphin Project lead said: “What a wonderful experience for the paddleboarders that were joined by the bottlenose dolphin early on Tuesday morning.

"Solitary dolphins are rare in Sussex but generally it looks in good health and seemed to be as interested in the boarders as they were in the dolphin.

"However, we would urge caution to boat users if it continues to stay in the area.”