Dolphin trapped in net in Chesil Cove rescued by kayakers

The dolphin got into difficulty in the sea Chesil Cove, Portland on Thursday morning.

Paul Hurrell - the owner of Castletown-based Sea Kayak Dorset - was running a session on the beach with a group from Greece, including Giorgos Kontargiris of Explore Messinia from Kalamata.

When a concerned onlooker pointed the dolphin out to them, Mr Hurrell and Mr Kontargiris sprung into action, launching in their kayaks.

Paul Hurrel and Giorgos Kontargiris (Image: Paul Hurrell - Sea Kayak Dorset)

The fishing net was caught around its tail and head, including its jaw, but after five to ten minutes of quick work by the duo and they were able to cut it free.

Mr Hurrell said: "We had it between our boats and just tried to get it out of the net.

"It was thrashing about until we got to it then it was calm. It almost seemed to know that we weren't threatening it and were there to help."

The dolphin was exhausted by the time the duo arrived to rescue it (Image: Paul Hurrell - Sea Kayak Dorset)

He added: "It was clearly exhausted. We kept it between our boats to corral it away from the net.

"If we hadn't been there to help I think it would have died because it didn't have much life left."

The rescue drama comes only a few days after a struggling baby porpoise tangled in a fishing net was freed by a group of Weymouth-based rib charter companies out on a training exercise, which was caught on video.

Watch here: Struggling baby porpoise caught in fishing wire rescued

Portland resident Paul Gale saw the trapped dolphin from his window at home.

He immediately reached out to his contacts and the coastguard to see if it could be rescued.

He described seeing the dolphin tangled in the net, only moving every minute or so to get a breath of air and thinking that ‘unless someone gets out there it is going to die’.

He watched as the rescue unfolded, saying: “I looked out and saw two kayakers going into the water. I got my camera out and to my amazement the dolphin was soon free and swimming out.”

After they managed to free it Mr Hurrell said: "You just feel so elated and emotional. It was just magical.

"To be there and actually be able to get it free and get that positive result with such an amazing creature was so emotional."

Mr Hurrel says saving the dolphin was a 'magical' experience (Image: Paul Gale)

A spokesperson for the Marine Coastguard Agency said: "A report was made to HM Coastguard at about 10.25am on March 7 that a dolphin was freed from netting by two canoeists near Portland. No action was required."