There were reportedly around 30 dolphins in totalDolphins feeding off the coast of Budleigh in Devon

A kayaker has spoken of the “truly amazing experience” he had when he witnessed a huge pod of dolphins “aggressively” feeding off the Devon coast.

Peter Williams was treated to the remarkable spectacle while kayaking between Budleigh Salterton and Ladram Bay yesterday (July 8) afternoon.

At around 1pm, just as Peter’s friend, Ian, was paddling out to join him, he said he saw several large splashes and fish leaping out of the water about a mile away.

Peter said he initially thought they were tuna, as he has previously seen them feeding in the water, and decided to paddle out “as quickly as we could towards the splashes” to get a closer look.

However, as he came closer to reaching the source, he soon realised that it was not what he first thought.

Peter told DevonLive: “We paddled out as quickly as we could towards the splashes, and I reached them after about 15 minutes.

“It was clear as I got nearer that this was a large pod of about 30 highly active dolphins, who were feeding on the large shoal of bass in that area.

“They chased the shoal very aggressively, constantly breaking the surface and making a lot of noise.”

Peter said he has been lucky enough to have been kayaking with dolphins before but has never seen them feeding in this way.

He stayed with them for around 20 minutes, capturing the incredible sight on video while keeping his distance so as not to disturb the pod of dolphins.

“A few times they came right towards me and were on either side,” Peter said.

“I just put the paddle down and watched. I took a couple of videos but mainly just enjoyed the amazing spectacle.

“They were constantly moving, and I ended up two-and-a-half miles offshore, and they were then chasing the shoal away further out to sea.

“I just watched them speed away, jumping constantly. The pod had a number of younger dolphins as well as the larger ones.”

Peter added: “It was a truly amazing experience, and such a privilege to be able to see these stunning creatures feeding in this way.

“Earlier this week I had a young seal swim all around me, inches below my kayak. So you just never know what you’re going to experience out in the bay.”