Dolphins in the Blackwater

[DanTribe]

I've had a couple of days sailing during Mersea Week.
Thursday, grey wet & window, not too much fun to be had.
Today, gentle steady winds sunshine and several sightings of dolphins. MAGIC!
Lovely atmosphere to the regatta too. Friendly efficiency, lots going on ashore & afloat, and some superb traditional boats. I'm a convert.

 

[sailorman]

I've had a couple of days sailing during Mersea Week.
Thursday, grey wet & window, not too much fun to be had.
Today, gentle steady winds sunshine and several sightings of dolphins. MAGIC!
Lovely atmosphere to the regatta too. Friendly efficiency, lots going on ashore & afloat, and some superb traditional boats. I'm a convert.

Hbr Porpoise more like

 

[johnalison]

Them is all dolphins to me. All we've seen this year was a fin for a few seconds.

 

[NUTMEG]

Pics?

Anyone know where I could find pictures ir further info of the dolphins/ hbr porpoises. Mate claimed to have seen them/it off of Bradwell last year.

 

[Lodesman77]

Saw them last year - didn't get a really close look so couldn't be certain but try:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour_porpoise

 

[philiphurst]

Saw them last year - didn't get a really close look so couldn't be certain but try:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour_porpoise

Yep, me too. Only one, off Bradwell.

 

[toad]

There was one in Brightlingsea two weeks ago, half way down the north pontoon.

 

[FullCircle]

Last Saturday off Bradwell. Dark with small fin, so I thought porpoise. Lovely to see.

 

[sailorman]

Last Saturday off Bradwell. Dark with small fin, so I thought porpoise. Lovely to see.

Porpoise swim in a series of leaps. Dolphins don't

 

[dylanwinter]

harbour porpoise

my guess is it was a harbour porpoise

smaller

just 3 to 4 feet long

never seen a dolphine - yet

hopefully I will before I get around the UK

D

 

[Tommyrot]

Never did see a Porpoise in The Wash, but plenty around the Humber mouth, even saw one in the Saltfleet channel!
Been as far north as the Tyne, but no Dolphin yet.....

 

[AliM]

We've seen porpoises off Brightlingsea and also off the Naze, but not this year. We saw lots in the Baltic and in the North Sea - which is why we know what they look like. You usually just see the very black back of the porpoise with its fin, as it comes up to breathe and hear a sort of sneeze. They don't take much notice of boats, in my experience. I've seen dolphins in the Med - they often approach boats - much bigger and greyer.

 

[ex-Gladys]

Harbour porpoises "breach" very quickly, and are difficult to spot, they don't "play around " boats unlike the bottlenosed dolphin and are generally scared off. A couple of years ago I saw a pair over near the Gunfleet on a beautiful day.. Google both and see the difference

 

[surekandoo]

saw two when approaching East Mersea Stone at the Colne entrance a fortnight ago. Lovely sight and first time I've seen them in 13 years of east coast sailing.

 

[Supine Being]

I saw some swimming NE along the Foulness bank about three weeks ago. Looked like a pod of up to half a dozen. They seemed too large to be porpoises to me.

Lodesman (or anyone else for that matter) , I'm sure these people would be interested to know about your sighting http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/sightingsform.php

 

[sailorman]

I saw some swimming NE along the Foulness bank about three weeks ago. Looked like a pod of up to half a dozen. They seemed too large to be porpoises to me.

Lodesman (or anyone else for that matter) , I'm sure these people would be interested to know about your sighting http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/sightingsform.php

dolphin swim under water & only breach to breathe porpoise breach all the time

 

[Habebty]

My Dolphin sightings were at Beachy Head and Dungeness this year.

 

[wingdiver]

You must have scared them off as we didn't see any...

 

[mylo]

I was always told by the marine mammal observers that a simple rule of thumb is that Harbour Porpoises are normally alone where as Dolphins swim in company.

 

[AliM]

Not sure about that. The most recent porpoises I saw, definitely porpoises, were in pairs, although they might have been mothers and young. They were somewhere in the middle of the North Sea, probably nearer Den Helder than Lowestoft, about 3 weeks ago. I agree that I haven't seen big groups of them, like dolphin pods, though.