A lucky boater had a close encounter with a pod of dolphins while sea fishing off the South Coast.

Dave Duggan, 60, spotted the group off the coast of Hastings, East Sussex. The pod of five white-beaked dolphins swam near his boat before they travelled further out to sea

After the incredible experience, the semi-retired building surveyor said: “It was such a lovely and magical experience and an honour to interact with these lovely creatures.”

White-beaked dolphins are very social and acrobatic and are often spotted in pods of five to 10.

They are a subpolar species, meaning they are usually found in cooler seas of the North Atlantic. Further north they are a popular snack for Polar Bears.

However, some can be found year-round in Lyme Bay, Devon and Dorset and sometimes off the north east coast of England.

On the same day last Saturday Dave and his friend Luke Edir also saw a minke whale while out at sea fishing off neighbouring Eastbourne.

Sussex Dolphin Project shared the dolphin video on its Twitter account.

They wrote: “These energetic dolphins have tall dorsal fins and grey/black colouring with white saddle patches and white markings along the flanks and a white beak.

"They spend most of their time offshore, therefore, are rarely sighted.”