Young sailors from Tenby 'ecstatic' at dolphin encounter

A group of young sailors had the perfect climax to their summer with a rare close encounter with bottlenose dolphins.

Junior members of Tenby Sailing Club were out enjoying their last club night of the season, off the west Wales coast, when they were joined by a small pod of playful dolphins.

The mammals are often seen in these waters, but rarely so close.

Instructor Max Richards said: "None of us had seen anything like that before."

At first the sailors saw movement in the water and presumed it was seals - a common sight off the coast of Tenby.

However they were treated to a display of aerial acrobatics by the dolphins that is rarely seen this close.

"The kids were ecstatic," said assistant instructor Max Richards, who caught the encounter on his phone.

The dolphins brushed alongside the dinghies and stayed jumping and splashing around the boats for more than a quarter of an hour.

It was an experience the children will never forget.

"It was our last junior sailing evening of the season, just an informal session thrown onto the end," said Mr Maxwell.

"There were a few people who didn't go, who really wished afterwards they had."

The young sailors stayed out in the water until it became too dark to safely carry on.

Mr Richards added: "It was an incredible experience for everyone involved, the sort of thing people pay a lot of money to see, and it just happened out of the blue for us."