Pod of dolphins rescued from rock pool in Jersey

The pod of dolphins became stuck in shallow water

A pod of dolphins stuck in shallow water was rescued by emergency crews in Jersey on Monday.

Donna De Gruchy from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said 13 dolphins became stranded in a pool when the tide receded at La Rocque beach.

Rescue teams managed to keep them in a pool about 3ft (1m) deep, until they found their way to the rising tide.

BDMLR was joined by Jersey Fire and Rescue, Jersey Coastguard and Government of Jersey Marine Resources.

Donna De Gruchy said the pod was "exhausted" after the rescue and she had her "fingers crossed" they found their way out overnight

Ms De Gruchy said the situation was unclear when she was first alerted.

She said: "I did not know what we were dealing with, so at that point, I asked everyone to attend if they could, with dry suits.

"I knew we were going to need some sort of help.

"To begin with we did not know if the dolphins were on the sand or in just a little bit of water."

The team established the dolphins were in a shallow rock pool and prepared equipment in case it dried out.

'Race against time'

Donna De Gruchy said the BDMLR had been monitoring the dolphins for about two weeks and explained they were on "high alert"

Rescue teams created and attended to a dam that made the water in the rock pool rise.

"It gave the dolphins a lot more room to move around again. They were stressed, but it was the best it we could do with what we were dealing with at the time," Ms De Gruchy said.

As the tide rose, the team had to leave the area with one dolphin beaching and another calf in difficulty.

She said: "It was really stressful and frightening to watch it knowing there was not a lot we could do when the water was flooding in.

"But that was all we could do with the scenario we were given."

Ms De Gruchy said the BDMLR had been monitoring the dolphins for about two weeks and explained they were on "high alert".