During a trip south of Marstal, the dolphins played around their sailing yacht "Bailey" for about 15 minutes in light winds. At first they thought they were two harbour porpoises, which are relatively common in the area. But it soon became clear that they must be dolphins, as they were not only larger but also had a longer snout.
The video with the dolphins
In the meantime, Anja Gallus, a harbour porpoise researcher at the Ozeaneum in Stralsund, has confirmed that the pictures are of dolphins when asked by our sister magazine YACHT: "The pictures show two common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) that we were not yet aware of. We have seen two bottlenose dolphins in the western German and Danish Baltic Sea for at least four years now (Tursiops truncatus), "Delle" and his brother "Skywalker". "Delle" can currently be found between Travemünde and Rostock, having previously travelled around Svendborg for a long time. "Skywalker" tends to do its rounds in Danish sea areas."
Call to report all marine mammal sightings
The crew of the "Bailey" now hope that they will be allowed to give them names based on the first documented sighting of the animals. They suggest "Mateo" and "Lea". The German Oceanographic Museum is calling on all water sports enthusiasts to report sightings of marine mammals. It doesn't matter whether they are harbour porpoises, grey seals, dolphins or even dead animals. A beaked whale was reported in the Øresund last year and recently even an orca. Sightings can be reported here.
Morten Strauch
Editor News & Panorama
