A Brighton fisherman spots dolphins off the Sussex coast

The ten bottlenose dolphins were spotted swimming near a charter boat on Tuesday and were described as “a beautiful sight”.

The dolphins, believed to be fishing for fish, are regularly sighted in the sea off Brighton.

Fisherman Kurt Lander said this is his fourth sighting this year.

Kurt, who filmed the dolphins taking clients on a charter fishing trip, said, “I see them fairly regularly, but the clients have been very excited. It’s a fantastic experience to see them.

“Most people stopped fishing and filmed them too, they absolutely loved it.

“It’s a beautiful sight, so exciting to see them in their natural habitat. This is the fourth time I’ve seen her this year.”

The video, captured by Kurt’s Yellowfin Charter Fishing Boat, shows the dolphins leaping out of the water, stunning everyone on board.

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Kurt said the dolphins were sighted about 20 miles south of Brighton, just past the Rampion wind farm.

Thea Taylor, Project Manager at the Sussex Dolphin Project said: “This is another beautiful video submitted to Yellowfin Charter Fishing by Kurt Lander, who encountered this pod of bottlenose dolphins while 20 miles out to sea.

“Our sightings tend to be further out to sea during the winter, with coastal sightings becoming more common from May to September.

“The footage shows the dolphins enjoying bow-riding in front of Kurt’s boat, which is a common behavior thought to be related to fun only. The dolphins enjoy surfing the wave generated by the boat.

“Kurt reported that the dolphins stayed with him for ten minutes and the most likely reason is that the dolphins and Kurt were in the area catching fish for the same reason.”

The Sussex Dolphin Project is an organization dedicated to protecting dolphins in the region.