A BOTTLENOSE dolphin has been delighting boat trippers off the coast of Dawlish.

Rarer than its cousin the common dolphin, the bottlenose came close to a vessel run by Dawlish Boat Trips several times during one of the company’s last outings of the season.

On board were the owners of holiday accommodation Pilchard Cottage who captured footage of the dolphin coming alongside the boat Molly R.

They said: ‘I took an unexpected trip abroad the Molly R, after Dawlish Boat Trips shared on Facebook that a dolphin had visited them during their first boat trip of the day.

‘Although it’s always pot luck seeing these magnificent creatures in the wild, I hoped my chances of seeing one were heighten as it was likely still in the area.

‘We sailed from the breakwater at town beach towards the magnificent Parson and Clerk rock formation, where an inquisitive seal popped his head out of the water to say hello.

'Within seconds, a bigger beast arrived in the form of this beautiful bottlenose dolphin, who then remained with us for the next 15 minutes playing around the boat and in our wake.’

The bottlenose dolphins seen in South Devon are part of England's only resident coastal bottlenose pod, which is under threat.

The population is estimated to consist of around 40–48 individuals.

This small pod is known to travel a vast area, covering the entire south coast from North Devon and Cornwall to East Sussex.

Their movements are difficult to track, and their presence in any one place is unpredictable.

While common dolphins, which are regularly seen year-round off the south Devon coast, are smaller, more slender, and often travel in large, acrobatic pods, Bottlenose dolphins are stockier and tend to appear in smaller, more social group.