Amateur photographer's 'thrill' at capturing dolphin in flight at Filey

An amateur wildlife photographer has described his "thrill" at capturing the moment a dolphin leapt from the water off the coast of North Yorkshire.

Andrew Cottrell was on the beach at Hummanby Gap, Filey, when a pod of dolphins was spotted between 500 metres and a kilometre off-shore.

He said he took "hundreds" of shots, but realised he had captured a special moment when he got home and uploaded his pictures onto a computer.

The photographs, taken on Monday, 23 January, showed a male dolphin jumping an estimated three metres into the air.

"It's a thrill to get something like that, because you never know what you have been able to get," Andrew said.

"You stand there hoping as you press the button that something that you're seeing is getting into the camera, but you never really know until you get home what you've got."

Andrew, who moved to Filey last October after retiring from his job as a marketing and sales executive, elicited a huge response after posting the pictures on social media.

Commenting on Facebook, Brenda Mcnaughton said: "Absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing."

Ann Phillips added: "What an amazing leap, fantastic photo." 

Danny Smith said: "What a picture! That is stunning, well done to the photographer."

Andrew said it was the height achieved by the dolphin which had got people talking.

He said: "That's the unusual thing. There are literally thousands of shots of dolphins breaching, but it's the height which is so unusual. I've never seen them go that far out of the water.

"He really did go for it!"

He added: "People don't realise the kind of wildlife we have in the North Sea - there are all sorts of mammals out there."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.