Dolphin in Southampton Water

[mikebees]

On November 4th about 10am we were followed by a Dolpin in Southampton Water just before the entrance to the Hamble by the Hook Buoy. It played around the stern of the boat before making off. We tried to photograph it but no luck!

 

[Solitaire]

I was on QHM duty on Saturday, the dolphin was with us the whole day - what was amazing was how he swam between the two outboards. Also gave us a wonderful jumping display just outside the harbour entrance off the appropriately named "Dolphin".

 

[Clive_Rigden]

Doesn't surprise me. We had one play with us for about 15 minutes entering the Solent from Selsey Bill in May. A lovely sight and quite a welcome back to home waters. Having said that, i cannot ever remember seeing one around here during my teenage years when I was hardly ever off the water. There were the occaisional porpooises and the very odd shark in Christchurch Bay but sadly no dolphins in the Solent then.

 

[CliveSmith]

Must be around 10 years ago there was one regularly to be seen in Southampton Water.

We were on the ferry to Cowes, and it stopped so everyone could see the dolphin. They'd had stickers made to show that "I've seen the dolphin with Red Funnel".

 

[pappaecho]

When I was a kid living in Lee on Solent, in the winter we regularily used to see Schools of Dolphins in the Solent with as many as 10 in a school.
As school policy has changed with 30 + kids in a class, the Dolphins dont seem to want to play anymore

 

[ShipsWoofy]

To be fair, it should make you happy that dolphins are staying away from the south coast in big numbers, as it seems the hotspot for pair trawling and gill nets dan that way.

The Irish Sea tends to be dragging big nets on the sandy bottom, much less dangerous for the cetaceans.

 

[AnnHeadon]

All last year and the beginning of this year there were always two dolphins off of Selsey Bill, they would always without fail come out to your boat and swim with you for a short while and then disappear. Sadly the last few times we looked out for them they weren't there.