Visitors to the Welsh coast were greeted with a spectacle during the bank holiday weekend when a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins put on a display.
Boat trippers in New Quay Bay, Ceredigion watched in awe as the mammals jumped out of the sea in extraordinary scenes on Saturday.
The dolphins took turns showing off their best moves, jumping out of the water in full sight of the tourists.
Sarah Michelle Wyer, a marine zoologist and wildlife guide for Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips, told the Mail: ‘We don’t see them (Bottlenose Dolphins) on every trip we do but when we see them “performing”, it never gets old.
‘They are frustrating as their so unpredictable, but visibility is better when the sea is better like on Saturday.’
Bottlenose dolphins put on a show at the weekend, jumping out of the sea at New Quay Bay in West Wales on Saturday afternoon, entertaining people on a boat trip
Sarah Michelle Wyer, a marine zoologist and wildlife guide for Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips, told the Mail: ‘We don’t see them (Bottlenose Dolphins) on every trip we do but when we see them “performing”, it never gets old
Bottlenose Dolphins are commonly found along the west coast of Wales but are found across the UK
Ms Wyer, 30, described how the pod of around eight Bottlenose Dolphins were visible to those on the beach and to onlookers from the pier.
On the boat, the Ermol VI, Ms Wyer was giving a tour of the bay when the dolphins began to ‘go crazy’.
As a zoologist, she described the Bottlenose as ‘playful creatures’ who ‘love to interact with boatloads of tourists’.
She added: ‘One guest said it crossed off a dream from her bucket list- it’s really special to be part of the experience’.
Across Britain, the bank holiday weekend saw a typical mix of sunshine, showers and some longer spells of rain.
Saturday was the best day of the weekend, with dry conditions and temperatures reaching the low 20s.
However, thundery downpours on Sunday brought the sunny spell to an end.
The dolphins took turns showing off their best moves, jumping out of the water in full sight of the tourists
Marine zoologist Sarah Michelle Wyer took the photos while working as a wildlife guide for Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips
While conditions in the South were drier on Monday, the north of England and Scotland saw heavy showers.
Bottlenose Dolphins are commonly found along the west coast of Wales but are found across the UK.
Cardigan Bay in the west of Wales is home to Bottlenose Dolphins all year round and the summer months offer the best chance to spot them.
Estimates from the UK’s Marine and Monitoring Assessment Strategy suggest there are 700 coastal bottlenose dolphins in the UK, with four separate pods in the Wales, Southwest England and the East and West coasts of Scotland.
Identified by their short beaks and large sickle-shaped dorsal fins, Bottlenose Dolphins are known for their boisterous behaviour, often splashing and breaching to show off in front of the boats of tourists flocking to see them.