Boat crew 'thrilled' by playful dolphins
A pod of dolphins has been spotted "playing" alongside a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) boat in Liverpool bay.
A volunteer lifeboat crew at Hoylake RNLI were completing a training exercise when they saw the bottlenose dolphins breaking through the waves.
The Wirral-based crew were near the Burbo Bank Wind Farm when the pod began swimming alongside their Shannon class lifeboat.
Volunteers said it was a "treat" to witness the dolphins and were further thrilled when they began to ride the bow wave.
About 10 to 15 dolphins were spotted above the water by crew members.
They soon surrounded the lifeboat and, riding the boat’s bow wave, began "playing in its wake".
The RNLI said: "The Hoylake RNLI crew were thrilled to spot the dolphins swimming and feeding in the region's waters, as it's not a sight they see routinely through training or rescues.
"Bottlenose dolphins have been spotted in this region alongside other marine mammals such as porpoises and grey seals."
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