Stunning footage shows dolphins jumping out of the water off North East coast as more sightings are expected in coming months
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Mesmerising videos show a jolly pod of dolphins splash in the sea, as the adorable creatures emerge from the water and dive back in over the course of several minutes.
The special moment was captured on Sunday (7 March) at Newbiggin Bay by Ivor Clark.
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Hide AdIvor runs Newbiggin Dolphin Watch Association, which counts the number of sightings and dolphins made along the North East coastline.
He says the sightings are going to increase in the next few months all along the North East coastline.
Ivor said: "In the last two years we’ve had 2,500 individual dolphins spotted along the coastline in 270 separate sightings. Over the course of a year we see them on average every other day.
"The numbers increase from April right through until mid summer. By mid summer we will be seeing dolphins three and four times per day.
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Hide Ad"Ten years ago we had literally zero, so this is a recent phenomenon. These are dolphins that migrated from the East Coast of Scotland and they’re spending more and more time along our coastline. “
The pods usually consist of between six and 15 dolphins, but Ivor says up to 40 could be spotted at a time.
Bottlenose dolphins account for the majority of sightings on the region’s coast, but white-beaked dolphins can also be seen in August.
Ivor continued: “It’s actually quite an emotional experience. I’ve seen grown men cry.
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Hide Ad"Firstly, it’s realising that we’ve got these animals on our doorstep.
"Secondly, there is a connection. Not everybody gets it, but for some there is a connection with these animals. Very few people that I know dislike dolphins.
"When you see them in the wild, just doing their thing, it’s very interactive.
"We need to look after these animals, we need to protect them.”
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Hide AdIt comes after a humpback whale and dolphins were spotted swimming off the coast of Northumberland two weeks ago, in an experience described as a “pure bliss”.
The Sea Watch Foundation says 30 whale and dolphin species have been recorded in UK waters, with the bottlenose dolphin and the harbour porpoise among the most popular.