GUIDE TO SPOTTING
DOLPHINS ALONG
DORSET'S JURASSIC
COAST
INTRODUCTION
I think most people carry in their heads, the stereo typical
image of dolphins swimming along side a boat in the
Mediterranean Sea. Often people have even seen this
occurence whilst on holiday.
In Europe, the Bottlenose dolphin and the common Harbour
dolphin are found mainly along Atlantic coasts - along the
west coast of Ireland, parts of Normandy and Brittany, and
the Spanish and Portuguese coasts.
Not everyone realises that we have several herds of
dolphins in UK waters or that we are lucky enough to have
regular sightings along the Jurassic Coast where Get Lost
Sailing run their sea safaris.
Resident herds occur in small numbers off the south-west
coast of Cornwall, and during spring and summer off the
East Dorset coast and stretching up to Sussex and Kent.
This guide will explain the best places and ways to spot
dolphins along the Dorset coastline as well as give an
explanation on their behaviour. This combined information
should give you the best chance of spotting them.
Good luck next time you try to find them!
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Noel Hutchinson
Get Lost Sailing Captain
Social Behaviour
The bottlenose dolphin is a social animal, usually living
in herds or pods of between half a dozen and 25
individuals. Sometimes however, these may smaller
pods may join together to form herds numbering up to a
thousand animals. The great thing about this when you
are trying to spot them is that a group of animals is far
easier to spot on the wide ocean than a solitary one.
The smaller herds appear to be rather like an extended
family, with individuals remaining together over a
number of years. Sometimes members split off and form
small sub-groups, particularly if they are of the same sex
or broadly the same age.
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Family groups seem to be based upon females with their
calves. The calves can remain with their mothers for
three, four, or even up to ten years, before going their
own way.
Sightings have been known within Swanage Bay when
mothers have been with calves. the shelter of the bay
seems to attract them when hunting together as a
younger family.
Males may join the group for short periods, or live in
separate bachelor herds.
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BABY DOLPHINS
In Britain, a single calf about a metre in length is born
sometime during the summer months, usually between
March and September. This is when we run our sea
safaris. Your best chance of seeing them is on the water
during this time. The mothers are living in one hunting
ground and are more active since they are trying to feed
their young.
Mating takes
place twelve
months before.
The calf is nursed
immediately by
the mother, who
may be assisted
by other females.
If necessary, they will help the calf up to the surface for
its first breath and the mother may also be assisted if she
is weak. The calf is suckled for around 18-20 months, so
its mother usually cannot breed again for two or three
years.
It is a long time before a young dolphin reaches sexual
maturity – between 8 and 15 years for males and 5-13 for
females. However, both sexes can live for more than 25
years, and females have been known to live over 50
years.
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Diet and Hunting
When fish are running and the dolphins are hunting, you
can see sea birds gathering overhead looking out for
scraps. When you're on the lookout, spotting a dorsal fin is
obviously a pretty good sign and just catching something
out of the corner of your eye like a wave breaking the
wrong way. On our safaris we are always on the lookout
for them although we have to be careful. It's important to
let the dolphins come to you rather than try and chase
them.
Although the dolphins take a wide variety of schooling
fish including herring, mackerel, cod, bass, salmon, and
sea trout, in many parts of its range around the world
coastal populations are thought to favour bottom-living
fish such as mullet, moray eels and flounder.
It's the undersea geology along the Dorset coastline that
makes the area so popular with the dolphins. There are a
lot of tidal breaks around Durlston Head and underwater
rocky ledges which attract small sea creatures and fish
which in turn attracts the dolphins.
On the Western side of Swanage Bay, there is another
underwater ledge at Peverill Point. Again dolphins are
often sighted along this piece of water.
Finally, the same thing occurs at St Aldhelms and this
marks the extent of the Durleston Marine Project dolphin
watch area.
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DURLSTON MARINE
PROJECT
The Durlston Marine Project is a community based
marine awareness programme. It focuses on the
Durlston Marine Research Area - a voluntary marine
study area that extends 25km along the Purbeck
coastline from St. Aldhelm's Head to South Haven
Point.
The project monitors activity of all sorts of marine life
along this piece of coastland. In fact, just outside of
Durlston Head, west of the castle, there is a dolphin
and whale observatory.
One of the great things
about the project is that
you can report sightings
of dolphins and other
animals and they keep a
record of their behaviour.
You can see a sample of
this on the next page.
But as well as that you
can sign up to their alert
system and hear about
dolphin activity as it
happens.
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DOLPHIN FACTS
1. Each dolphin has a unique signature ‘whistle’ to identify
it to family.
2. A dolphin's forehead is called a ‘melon’ – it looks like a
melon and helps with echo- location. Just like a radar,
dolphins send out a click 300 times a second – the
reflected sound helps them work out where they are.
3. Dolphins can dive to depths of up to 300 metres below
the surface and stay submerged for 15 to 20 minutes at
a time.
4. Most dolphins have a lifespan of about 25 years, but
some can live up to 50.
5. Dolphins sleep by closing one eye at a time, resting one
side of the brain, while the other stays alert to watch for
predators.
6. A mother dolphin will stay with her baby (calf) for up to 3
years, protecting it and teaching it hunting skills.
7. Dolphins spend less than 5% of their time at the sea
surface (that's around an hour a day).
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Top 3 Ways and Places
to Spot Dolphins
OK. So if you've read this guide properly you know that
dolphins travel in reasonably small groups. You know that
they only really spend about an hour a day at the surface
when they are hunting. So how in the name of the ocean
do you spot them?!
Well the good news for keen dolphin spotters is that they
come to the surface to breathe every 15 - 20 minutes.
That's great if you're in an area that they live and frequent
such as the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. It means you've got
a chance of seeing them every day no matter what the
weather. So below are the best ideas when trying to spot
these fantastic creatures:
Wait patiently on the shore and try to spot them as they
come close in. There's a lot of luck needed here and it's
best to have a pair of binoculars.
The sea tends to form its waves in a reasonably uniform
direction. This is due to the wind acting on the surface
of the water. When dolphin spotting, keep a sharp eye
out for something on the surface that goes against the
pattern. It may well be a fleeting glimpse of a dorsal fin.
Finally, when the fish are running and the dolphins are
hunting, expect some commotion. You will inevitably
see sharp eyed birds following a pod of dolphin so that
they can get the fish that escape. Keep an eye out for
birds gathering over a piece of the sea.
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The Very Best Dolphin
Spotting Places in
Dorset
So here it is. Armed with all the information in this guide
that will increase your chances of seeing them, these are
the very best places to visit:
Durlston Head: the dolphins often hunt around here as
mentioned previously. Did you know that there is a
dolphin and whale observatory just west of the castle
and tourist centre? Head along the South Coast path
and you will find the wooden hut.
Peverill Point: again, as mentioned before, the dolphins
hunt along this underwater ledge. Head round to the
west end of Swanage Bay by the coastguard tower and
lifeboat station. As you look out to sea, you will see the
red buoy that marks the end of Peverill ledge.
On the Sea: by far the best way to spot these animals is
to get on a boat and travel the length of their home!
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Sea Safari
Now that you've read the guide and you know where the
dolphins hide out, why not join Get Lost Sailing on safari?
Our route takes in the two hotspots of Durlston and
Peverill. As well as this we run all the way down the cliffs
to Dancing Ledge. This is the stretch of the Jurassic Coast
where the dolphins are most often seen. There is always a
chance of spotting them and they sometimes run along
side the boat for some of the trip. They are only a couple
of metres away when they do that!
As well as dolphins you can spot all sorts of birds. At
various times of the year these include, Puffins, Shags,
Cormorants and Grebes. The best places to see these
guys are in the sea caves that we visit.
We hope to see you soon so you can enjoy all these
special creatures with us. Book our 5* trips online at:
www.getlostsailing.com
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