Lucky father and son capture rare moment five-foot leatherback turtle surfaces off Conwy coast

A lucky father and son have captured the "unforgettable" moment a leatherback turtle made a rare appearance off the coast of north Wales.

Paul Waterworth was on a fishing trip near Rhos-on-Sea with his 10-year-old son, Oliver, when the skipper spotted the 5ft turtle in the distance.

The leatherback is the rarest turtle in the world and usually spends its time in depths of more than 1km below the surface.

The biggest leatherback ever recorded, known as the Harlech Turtle, washed up dead at Harlech in Gwynedd in 1988.

But the species is found all over the world, including the coasts of Central and South America, as well as West and South Africa.

The Marine Conservation Society said they travel to UK waters in summer to feed on jellyfish.

Paul Waterworth described the moment as "bizarre".

“I had a fish on the line and we had seen some porpoise in the distance. That wasn’t so unusual," he said.

“We saw the turtle, Jack the skipper had been out there for 20 years and had never seen anything like that. I could see from the shock on his face that it was quite a big deal. Once we started searching and googling we realised how rare it was.

The family, from Warrington, are on a trip away to Llandudno. To mark the special moment, Oliver has since named the turtle Harold.

"We have a room with a sea view and looking out on hundreds of acres of open sea and thinking about what the chances of seeing this turtle are and it coming up to the boat is amazing.

"It was one of those moments that we will never forget. It has been a really rough few months and to be able to experience that was out of this world.

"It was amazing to experience it with Oliver. To be able to see the look on his face of real wonder, to see that it was fantastic. It is something that he will never forget."