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A crew from Littlehampton RNLI were delighted when a pod of dolphins joined them on a training exercise off the West Sussex Coast.
The routine exercise turned into a bucket-list moment for the volunteer crew when dolphins began leaping around them.
Helm Andy Harris and crew Sophie Collins, Ian Kirkham and Mark Jordan were on their regular Thursday (9 July) evening training exercise off the coast of Littlehampton when they spotted dolphins ahead.
Their lifeboat was suddenly surrounded by the inquisitive pod, which included a mother and calf.
Dolphin jumping out of the water Credit: Littlehampton RNLI
The dolphins stayed with the crew for about 10 minutes, leaping out of the sea and playing in the lifeboat’s wake.
Sophie Collins, who joined Littlehampton RNLI in August 2024 and recently passed out as crew, said: “It was literally the best day of my life.
“It was such a peaceful sight and the perfect way to end our evening training session.”
Andy Harris, who was at the helm and has volunteered with Littlehampton RNLI since 1996, said: “It’s one of those sights you never get tired of seeing.
“We saw them ahead, then we saw another group coming up behind us.
“They came to have a look at us and were jumping clear out of the water. They followed us for some of the way home, too.”
The pod, which included a mother and calf, stayed with the crew for about 10 minutes. Credit: Littlehampton RNLI
Crew member Ian Kirkham added: “It was superb to watch how they effortlessly rode our bow wave and the boat’s wake.
I had to remember to keep a lookout as well as watch the dolphins!”
Littlehampton RNLI is manned entirely by volunteers, who save lives at sea along the West Sussex coast between Worthing and Bognor Regis.
The crew train every Thursday evening and Sunday morning and were called into action 77 times in 2025.
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