Tenby: 'Giant' leatherback turtle spotted next to a fishing boat

A "giant" leatherback sea turtle was spotted enjoying the sunshine in west Wales on Sunday, 3 September.

The turtle was seen around four miles off the coast of Tenby and swam next to a fishing boat for three hours.

The boat workers were "amazed" by how big the turtle was, estimating that it was between 1.8 meters to 2.3 meters and weighed around 600 kilos.

Oscar Allen, along with his work colleagues Jack Lamont and Gareth Harris spotted the turtle as they sailed four miles off the coast of Tenby.

Oscar said: "It stayed next to us for about three hours, going with the tide as it was going out then as the tide turned going back in just feeding and resurfacing.

"All of us were amazed. We were just watching it for a while seeing how far it would move.

"[It] only moved about a mile and a half from where we first saw it. But then he just went under for good then we had to go back to work."

Leatherback turtles are the largest species of turtle in the world.

They can grow to 2.9 meters and can weigh as much as 916kg.

The species visit Wales during summer to feed on jellyfish, especially the big barrel jellyfish that are often spotted in Wales.

In May this year, over a hundred barrel jellyfish were spotted covering a beach in Pembrokeshire.

Over the years there have been many unusual sightings and wildlife washed up on beaches and coastlines across Wales.

It comes as Welsh waters have a rich and diverse marine ecosystem.

Most recently, a Tresher shark was spotted leaping out of the sea at New Quay, in Ceredigion, meters away from a boat trip group.

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