Porpoise @ Haslar !

[bobgosling]

Did anyone else see the porpoise at Haslar ( just off the green lightship pub ) ? A real feel-good moment ! Must mean that the Mackeral are back again already ?

 

[kirielad]

Glad you posted that! On our way down to the harbour mouth yesterday, just opposite Priddys Hard we were joined by a dolphin - at least I'm pretty sure it was a dolphin (seemed to big to be a porpoise). It surfaced right alongside our starboard quarter - I was on the tiller at the time and nearly jumped out the cockpit! I put the engine in neutral straight away.

He / She was about 7 or 8 foot long - longer than our 6' cockpit anyway! and had distinct 'cut' marks down the left side of the dorsal fin. A few guys on a fishing boat coming the other way stopped and got a few pics. Amazing sight, we were really lucky.

 

[Sandyman]

We saw a couple of porpoise in the Solent three weekends ago. I actually live near Priddys Hard so will keep em peeled. 7 or 8 foot does seem a bit big for a porpoise.

 

[pbeard]

Always lovely to see especially because it's their choice and are not performing for fish fingers in a pool! We were in Gosport a couple of weeks ago and whilst walking along the pontoon to the showers found ourselves alongside a seal on the surface swimming alongside and watching us! Excellent!

 

[Rabbie]

<u>As an aid to identification </u>


Identifying Bottlenose Dolphins and Porpoise: The two species most likely to be seen along the Sussex Coast are the bottlenose dolphin and the common or harbour porpoise. Bottlenose are 'typical' dolphin shaped and have a small beak. Porpoise have relatively plump, rounded bodies and do not have a beak.

Surface identification
Dolphin: Bottlenose dolphins break the surface with a graceful arching motion when they surface to breath. The dorsal fin is sickle-shaped and curves backwards. They may leap out of the water.

Porpoise: the porpoise surfaces with an almost sneaky movement exposing as little of its body as possible. The dorsal fin is triangular and blunt. It rarely leaps out of the water.

 

[kcrane]

We saw it (or one of them) as we left Gosport on Wednesday lunchtime. Portsmouth harbour mouth was very choppy, chucking it down as well. My brother shouted 'dolphin' and we thought he was having us on, but he was quite right, followed us 200yds or so, then disappeared.

 

[Impaler]

Come to the Moray Firth, sightings of 5 to 10 at a time are becoming regular occurrences now plus quite a few Minkie whales too in the season. Just don't bring jet bikes!

 

[[10753]]

We saw one dolphin just off the Gosport Ferry Jetty on Saturday Afternoon 2nd June.

 

[davies]

The mackeral are certainly back - there was a huge shoal chasing the small stuff by No Man's Land Fort on Saturday evening.

 

[freebird1]

Chatting to my dad yesterday, he had been out around the forts mid Solent and saw the dolphin. On his way back to his mooring in Langstone Harbour, he then saw one of the seals that reside there. Not a bad day...

It was topped by another club member though who had the dolphin playing around their boat for 40 MINUTES, again mid-Solent.