south coast
South East
From Dungeness in Kent to Gosport
Cetacean activity in the Southeast region appears to have increased during the early stages of summer. Reports on TV and in the media have shown animals all around the Kent coast.
3 harbour porpoises off Dungeness in Kent. Eleven sightings of bottlenose dolphins reported
Harbour Porpoise (x2) seen from - beach (Orford Ness Lighthouse)
White-Beaked Dolphin (x7) seen from - headland (off Dungeness, Kent)
Bottlenose Dolphin (x4) seen from - tour operators boat (off Brighton)
From Gosport to Torquay
As well as the abundance of underwater life to be seen in the seas around Torbay, a lot can quite often be seen on the surface, either from the shore, or from a boat on the way to or from dive sites. Regular visitors to the area include Dolphins, Porpoise, and the occasional Basking shark.
Paignton Pier :Easter this year saw 14 Bottlenose dolphins right at the end of the pier.
Rachel Hilton from Goodrington, Devon - spotted a pod of dolphins following a boat off the coast of Berry Head, Brixham on Easter Sunday. Apparently they are often seen by visitors.
Rosie from Teignmouth - saw dolphins just off the pier at Teignmouth, We're hoping they'll be back again!
From Torquay to Lands End
A group of dolphins appeared on Cornish coasts in spring 2005 and are regularly sighted by the Cornish Wildlife Trust
We are asking you to report any sightings of dolphins giving the date, time, place, number of animals and their direction.
So far we have learnt much about our Cornish dolphin group, currently spending much time around Land's End, but we need to continue the work to allow steps to be taken to safeguard the future of these wonderful creatures. You don't have to be a "dolphin observer" to take part in the project, anybody can help by reporting sightings to Dolphin Care Uk.
A juvenile Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was discovered on a remote north Cornish beach at Gwithian, near Hayle. This is unusual as it is usually Common Dolphins, Delphinus delphis, that are washed up, often killed in fishing nets with a total of 220 recorded in 2004.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, cetaceans, porpoises, dolphins and whales, are protected species. Anyone found guilty of their ill-treatment faces a six-month prison sentence.