A diver captured the incredible moment a pod of dolphins swam past him while on a deep shipwreck dive.

Dominic Robinson, 53, was on a dive on Sunday (20/07) when a pod of around 20 to 30 dolphins surrounded them.

Dominic and seven others were exploring a World War I shipwreck 10 to 12 miles outside Plymouth when they swam alongside them.

The diver, from Plymouth, Devon, said: "We could hear the chirping noise dolphins make for ages, and then all of a sudden they just started appearing out of the gloom."

"To make eye contact with a large intelligent wild animal, and think, I'm looking at you, you're looking at me, we're both curious - that's just a fantastic feeling."

Dominic recorded the breath-taking interaction on his mobile phone, encased in a waterproof housing.

The footage shows the dolphins appearing out of the depths and swimming by the divers.



Dominic has been a diver for over 40 years and regularly explores the waters around Plymouth, he said it isn't unusual to see dolphins on the surface of the water but to see them up close underwater is rare.

He said: "They were coming in and out for a long period of time, probably 20 minutes, and to get them as close as they were, it was just really unusual and really special."

"You kind of have a sense of kinship. They're choosing how this encounter works and it's nice they're choosing to have the encounter with us - for so long and so close."

Dominic also shares his diving experiences on his YouTube channel @DeepWreckDiver.