He jumps over unsuspecting swimmers and greets early-morning motorboat skippers “with a smile”, yet has allegedly begun trying to drown women wearing wetsuits.
Swimmers, sailors and boat operators in Lyme Regis say the presence of a playful bottlenose dolphin in their bay for the past six months has been a privilege.
However, marine experts have warned the public to keep away after kayakers had to rescue two women swimming off the coast last week when the dolphin “kept jumping on them”.
“The dolphin was basically drowning this woman,” Rhys Paterson, 32, a kayaker, said. “It kind of jumped on her back four times.”
Locals say keeping away from the dolphin, which tourists have named Reggie, is easier said than done because he seeks out people to play with and enjoys human company.
“People we know that have swum with him say his purpose in life is to make people happy,” Andy, a powerboat owner, said.
“He comes to the pontoons [to which motorboats are tethered in Lyme Regis harbour] most early mornings, afternoons and evenings, and when you go out he follows the boats.
“He comes to say hello. He likes the company of people.”
Reggie captured hearts after video emerged of him playing with a family and asking for belly rubs
MATT KEEBLE FOR THE TIMES
Following the recent “drowning” incident, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), a government-backed agency responsible for England’s seas, issued a strict warning that human interactions could “harm dolphins, leading to injury, death or aggression”.
It said the public should “never swim with, touch, feed or approach dolphins. If a dolphin approaches you, calmly leave the area.”
Crowds have gathered in recent weeks to witness his antics after videos of Reggie playing with swimmers went viral.
Sally Holman, 73, the youth co-ordinator of Lyme Regis Sailing Club and a former mayor of the town, said the MMO visited four months ago and told her it was monitoring the dolphin.
“The trouble is, once word spread and visitors started coming, there has been unsuitable interaction with the dolphin,” she said. “There are groups of paddleboarders who go out deliberately to interact with the dolphin.”
She said Reggie had “bumped” her legs as she swam in the bay but he hasn’t bitten anyone, unlike a seal that lived in the bay for several months this year.
“I suppose we feel a bit protective of him, in a way,” she said. “We don’t like all the people rushing out with paddleboards and swimming out to him, but he can choose to be there or not.
“It’s not good for him but he has gone a long way down that line now,” she added. “He is going to get badly hurt by a propeller because he likes playing in the bubbles created by the engines and he has been seen to play upside down between the twin propellers of the lifeboat.”
Paddleboarders have been advised not to interact with Reggie
MATT KEEBLE FOR THE TIMES
The dolphin has already been photographed with injuries that appear to have been caused by a propeller.
One motorboat owner said: “I can see why the MMO is concerned, but when you have a dolphin actively seeking attention and interaction it’s difficult.
“It’s a beautiful thing and if the dolphin wasn’t happy he would leave. It’s not necessarily a case of people actively searching for him.”
Earlier in the year the dolphin used to stay around 300 metres from the shore, but in recent months he has come within 100 metres, looking for people to swim with.
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Harry May, 80, a local man who is working his final year of charter boat trips, said that it “moves me every time I see him [the dolphin]”.
Eddie Nolan, 65, a fellow charter boat skipper, said: “The dolphin has been great for people to see. Although we know how to treat it, there are a lot of people who think they can just go up to him.”
Eddie Nolan
WILL HUMPHRIES FOR THE TIMES
It is illegal to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure or disturb dolphins, whales and porpoises under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Approaching or recklessly disturbing a dolphin can result in a prison sentence of up to six months and an unlimited fine.
Sally, a local paddleboarder with teenage children, said the beach Tannoy had broadcast a warning last week telling people the dolphin had been sighted and that they should be wary.
“They said it’s a criminal offence to approach marine life and people did try and keep their distance, from what I could see, but it was quite close to shore,” she said. “I just worry about the dolphin’s welfare.”
Bottlenose dolphins are native to British shores, can reach four metres in length and typically weigh about half a tonne.
Lone males can be forced out of pods and have to find another group to join. There are thought to be 145 lone dolphins around the British Isles at the moment.
Katherine Honeywill, 53, an infant school teacher who has seen Reggie while on her kayak, said he “needs to find his own kind now but it is lovely to see him and he is addictive”.
“If you are out in the kayak and he comes alongside you are just mesmerised,” she said.
“He will come right by the boat and turns over and smiles at you sideways and looks you in the eye. He’s not nervous at all and that’s the problem. That is why he has been hit by a propeller.
“It’s a privilege to see him and I think he is enjoying playing with people.”