Beautiful pictures capture dolphins in action off Marsden Bay

Dolphins swimming off the coast at Marsden. Picture: Laurence Younger.

Laurence Younger, of Marsden, took these amazing pictures of dolphins and porpoises swimming north from Marsden Bay.

The animals put on a spectacular display for those watching - leading to the incredible shapes captured on camera.

A splashing good time. Picture: Laurence Younger.

Laurence, 60, rushed down to the end of South Shields Pier after a phone call from his friend, so he could catch them on film.

Speaking to the Gazette, he said: "I was sitting in the house and I got a very excitable phone call from my friend Anthony at 11am from Marsden Bay saying there was a pod of dolphins swimming in the bay.

"I rushed up and saw them heading north. I then went down to the pier [and] met my fellow wildlife photographer friend Stu Thompson and we virtually ran up to the end of the pier to see them breaching and we got some nice photos.

Did you spot the animals in action? Picture: Laurence Younger.

"I've never seen so many dolphins and porpoises off our coast than I have this year."

Laurence, who works in care supporting autistic adults, is a keen birder and wildlife photographer in his spare time.

Earlier in the year, the 60-year-old spotted a pod of bottlenose dolphins putting on a display in a similar place.

He added: "It was absolutely amazing to see, I’ve seen them before but never captured so many breaching!"