A POD of dolphins needed saving this afternoon after getting stuck in shallow water on La Rocque beach – during one of the biggest tides seen so far this year.
The 13-strong pod of common dolphins were able to survive thanks to the combined efforts of a team from British Divers Marine Life Rescue, alongside members of the Fisheries Department, Jersey Coastguard and Fire Service, who helped to keep the creatures calm and secure while they waited for the tide to come back in.
Rescue efforts took place from around 12.15pm after the dolphins got stuck in a natural pool halfway up the beach, which was later bolstered with a makeshift dam by the rescuers to keep the water from draining.
High water was recorded at around 12 metres yesterday morning, with low water marked at 0.1 metres just before 2pm – making it one of the biggest tides seen so far this year.
JEP photographer Jon Guegan said those involved did their best to keep the situation “calm and controlled”.
“They had lots of buckets and spades, to try and stop the water from draining – they did a really good job of building a mini-dam,” he explained.
“The dolphins were all swimming round and round in a circle.”
Donna de Gruchy, the Jersey co-ordinator for BDMLR, said it could have been “opportunistic feeding” that resulted in the dolphins coming into shallow water and getting stuck.
She added that the team had done as much as it could until the tide came in and the dam was flooded.
“We couldn’t stay from a safety point of view so now we can only watch and wait.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they were back tomorrow but hopefully they will go out with the current.”
A spokesperson for Ports of Jersey said: “We are pleased that the dolphins were able to safely return to sea and we would like to thank everyone who was involved for their efforts in achieving this positive outcome.”
They added: “The Acting Duty Harbour Master was on-site making sure everyone was safe and that nobody put themselves in danger.”
