First ever bottle-nose dolphin photographed in Somerset

Nature watchers have been overjoyed after a rare dolphin paid a visit to Minehead last week. The bottlenose dolphin, which student marine biologist Louise Christiaans says is the first photographed in Somerset on record, was spotted off the coast of Hurlstone Point on Monday, June 17.

Louise, who photographed the incredible creature, said: "I have been buzzing all week over this, I've talked about nothing else. The dolphin was just unbelievable. Actually, I personally have never been lucky enough to see a bottlenose before, I've seen so many species that I kept missing it."

The student marine biologist had been in Minehead that day to watch a harbour porpoise. The dolphin, who is thought to be a juvenile male, came as a surprise.

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Louise, who thinks the dolphin could be from a pod (group of dolphins) off the West coast of Wales, said: "You do get lone males who go off exploring on their own."

Bottlenose dolphins are playful, social creatures that live and hunt in groups. While they are quite friendly and often approach boats, The Wildlife Trusts recommend keeping a distance of 100m or more if you spot one out on the waves.

If a dolphin comes over to say hello, The Wildlife Trusts advise letting them engage with you on their own terms and allowing them to leave whenever they wish. To preserve dolphins for future generations, Louise recommends cutting down on single-use plastic: "A big problem is people thinking 'I'm one person, what difference can I make?', whereas if everybody said that, nothing would get done.

"You have to be that person that makes the positive change and spreads the word. I'm blessed with two amazing little girls and I'm bringing them up to have a lot of respect for the ocean."

The Sea Watch Foundation is a charity that helps to conserve dolphins, along with whales and porpoises. Keen nature watchers can report sightings on the Sea Watch Foundation's website or on their app.