BEAUTIFUL FOOTAGE CAPTURED OFF BLACK ROCK SANDS, BUT EXPERT RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT ANIMAL BEING SO FAR FROM USUAL TERRITORY

AWHALE has been spotted roaming off the North Wales coast in what has been hailed as an “incredibly rare” sighting.

The northern bottlenose whale, estimated to be around nine metres long, was seen near Porthmadog on Thursday evening.

Anthony Dale, of West Coast Marine Pwllheli Limited, filmed the incredible encounter while on his jet ski near Black Rock Sands with his wife and children at around 7pm.

He is understood to be the only person to have reported a sighting of the mammal that was thought to be swimming alone.

Mr Dale said: “I was out on the jet skis with my wife and children when I saw a fin in the water.

“I thought it was a dolphin at first, and so went closer to get a better look.

“We turned the engines off and waited to see if it would reappear.

“As soon as it came back up, I knew it wasn’t a dolphin – it was too big.

“I couldn’t say exactly how big it was, but I’d say it was maybe 20ft long.

“As it came closer, I got my camera out and took as many videos as I could.”

Not knowing exactly what he has spotted, he forwarded the footage to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), who confirmed it was a northern bottlenose whale.

However, Dan Jarvis of the BDMLR said its presence in North Wales is “very uncommon” and could be a “cause for concern”.

“Northern bottlenose whales do not occur near the shore and shouldn’t be in the Irish Sea – it is very unusual for it to be in North Wales, which gives us cause for concern,” he said.

“It would have been in totally the wrong habitat, which means it wouldn’t have been able to feed properly.

“There’s a number of reasons why it could be in the area.

“There could be something wrong with it; it could have an injury or it may be even be an aged animal and become disorientated.

“Or it may have just been passing through the area.

“We don’t know the exact reason, but it is a bit of a concern for us.”

Northern bottlenose whales, also known as the bottlehead or North Atlantic bottlenose whales, are mostly found in pods of between four and 20 animals.

They are found in colder water around the North Atlantic Ocean in New England in the United States and all the way to southern Greenland.

They are also commonly seen from the Strait of Gibraltar right up to Svalbard, a Norwegian territory inside the Arctic Circle.

Newborn calves are normally around three metres in length, while the fully grown adults can grow up to around nine metres long and weigh as much as seven and a half tonnes.

Easily recognised by their large foreheads, they are olive brown and grey in colour while their heads are lighter in shade and hooked fins are darker.

Mr Dale, added: “Being such a rare encounter, it was exciting to watch and as it didn’t appear to be in any distress it certainly ended a beautiful evening on a high.”

Anyone who is concerned about a marine animal can contact BDMLR on 01825 765546, or email info@bdmlr@org.uk.