Spotting dolphins splashing around near the coast is a beautiful sight, and it’s becoming increasingly common across the North East with several locations reporting on average of at least one sighting per day.
Here are the current top 10 places to spot dolphins off the North East coast according to Sea Watch Foundation listed sightings from 19 July to 5 August 2020:

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Dolphins off the coast of Bamburgh Castle (photo: @rob_northern) . Photo: Northumberland Gazette

. Newbiggin - 20 sightings
A total of 112 dolphins have been spotted off the Newbiggin coast since July 19. Church point and Beacon point are particularly popular areas. Photo: Kate Durie

. Seaton Sluice - 17 sightings
Seaton Sluice is one of the most popular places for dolphin spotting in the North East. While only 17 separate sightings were recorded, the larger pod sizes observed compared to Newbiggin means that at total of 141 dolphins were spotted in total. Photo: Peter Evans/Sea Watch Foundation

. Whitburn - 12 sightings
Around 91 dolphins have been spotted off the Whitburn coast in eight separate sightings. Most sightings came from the Whitburn Bird Observatory. Photo: Amber, Anita and Lisa

5. Whitley Bay - 10 sightings
Whitley Bay in North Tyneside is another great spot for dolphin spotters with seven sightings recorded in the past 17 days. A total of 71 dolphins have been spotted across the sightings. Photo: Walter Baxter

6. Cullercoats - 7 sightings
Just along from Whitley Bay, Cullercoats has also been a popular spot for dolphins over the past 17 days. Bottle-nosed and the lesser spotted white-beaked dolphins have been seen off the Cullercoats shore with a total of 82 recorded. Photo: Walter Baxter

7. Howick - 7 sightings
People at Howick in Northumberland to record seven dolphin sightings off the coast. A total of 49 dolphins have been seen in the past 17 days with pod sizes ranging from two to 24. Photo: RAYMOND ROIG

8. Hartlepool - 6 sightings
The coastal areas of Hartlepool has seen four sightings with a total of 99 dolphins spotted - giving an average pod size per sighting of 16.5. Photo: Walter Baxter