Oh my pod – sailors spot group of dolphins

DOLPHINS have been spotted enjoying themselves just a few miles from the mouth of the River Tyne.

Graeme Sharkey from Gateshead called it a “privilege” to see the beautiful animals up close.

He spent the sunny Bank Holiday Monday on the water with a couple of friends.

However, a great weekend was about to get even better for them.

Graeme was stunned by the 20-strong dolphin pod about four miles out from the coast.

In a video he recorded, the mammals are seen leaping out of the water and swimming right alongside the boat.

The 57-year-old said: “We saw one, then another, then we looked around and they were just everywhere.

“It was absolutely amazing to see so many of them.

“We have been out before when there have been one or two and after a moment they were gone.

“They must have been alongside our boat for the best part of half an hour. Every time we tried to move off they would follow alongside.”

While dolphins are not uncommon off the coast of Northumberland they are still a stunning sight.

Sharkey, a customer services officer, said it was the perfect way to cap off the weekend.

He added: “It had been a lovely weekend. If we had decided to go out 10 minutes earlier or later the dolphins might not have been there.

“It is a privilege to see something like that. When they swim alongside the boat it is as if they are doing it just for you.”

There are a number of different species of cetaceans which call the North Sea home.

These include common bottlenose dolphins, white beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises.

Even a number of killer whales were spotted near Seahouses over the weekend.

Sharkey, an instructor with Hebburn Sea Cadets, knows just how special the North East’s coast is.

He said: “There is so much out there once you get out on the water. You don’t realise how much there is.

“We have such a beautiful coastline, seeing it from the water it just changes the perspective.”