Murray Wardrop, The Telegraph 1 Jul 09;
Conservationists carrying out a coastal survey found their boat surrounded by a pod of around 1,500 dolphins off the coast of Pembrokeshire.
The eight volunteers from the Sea Trust described the scene as a "mile-long wall of dolphins" near the Smalls Lighthouse in the Irish Sea.The charity's founder Cliff Benson said in wildlife terms the sight "was like winning the lottery".
The team was first alerted to the giant group when they saw what looked like a "blizzard" of Gannets on the horizon.
Mr Benson said: "Beneath them was a living wall of dolphins – a mile long and several deep.
"They just kept on coming pod after pod passing by the boat. It was a wonderful thing to see. It was possible to see all ages of dolphins from big adults to tiny babies."
Experts believe that the group consisted of many smaller pods, which had joined together to exploit a large "bait ball" of fish passing through the stretch of water.