Watch drone footage capture stunning moment dolphin pod swims off the coast of Sunderland

Sightings of dolphins swimming along the North East coastline have delighted those lucky enough to spot them this summer.

And Echo reader Brian Priest, from Hillview, Grangetown, was able to capture the special moment up close when he filmed a pod of dolphins playing near to Hendon Beach.

Using a drone, the 41-year-old managed to take these impressive shots of the stunning creatures, who were swimming just 2km off the prom, at around 2pm on Sunday, July 19.

Brian, who works as a car sales executive at Wearside Toyota, said: “It’s the second time I’ve seen them.

"I was able to film them with a drone this time, as I also got a video at Roker last year.

"It’s great to see them up here as we have really nice beaches and seeing them just shows how nice our water must be.

"I’m right into wildlife and really enjoyed watching them.

"I tried not to get too close with the drone to disturb them but there was quite a few and they where popping up all over.”

As weather gets warmer it’s quite common for dolphins, porpoises and whales to visit English shores, but marine experts have warned that people wanting to see the animals should keep a respectful distant so as not to disturb them.

Disturbance by boats and jet skis often causes stress and harm to dolphins, porpoises and whales, affecting their ability to feed, breed or nurture their young.

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