14/06/2026
TAKE A SECOND GLANCE
This photo of a young Dolphin should feel heartwarming… but instead it is sad.
From what we thought was a young dolphin playing with seaweed turned into the realisation after looking back at the photo that it was actually interacting with a piece of plastic (potentially a plastic bag) drifting through the water in New Quay harbour this morning.
This is a powerful image — it’s not high quality, it’s not an action-packed flipper scene …
it’s a photograph that tells a much sadder story and it’s on our doorstep. Not on the TV or the news … in our harbour in New Quay and it is impacting our Dolphins.
Seeing a baby dolphin play with plastic instead of what should naturally surround it is a reminder of the impact our waste can have.
Curious by nature (particularly youngsters)
dolphins can mistake plastic for something harmless, yet encounters like this can lead to serious harm through ingestion, entanglement or even suffocation.
Plastic bags can take around 20 years (or more depending on conditions) to break down in the environment, and even then they don’t truly disappear — they fragment into smaller pieces of microplastic that remain in our oceans far longer.
So putting it into perspective, this piece of plastic could still be around during this Dolphin’s child and even grandchild’s lifetime.
This is a really heartbreaking photograph for us to share.
If any good can come from it we urge people to
PLEASE dispose of litter responsibly. Use bins where available, and if it’s safe to do so, pick up plastic you come across whether on land or in the sea.
Locals of New Quay, visitors to New Quay … please respect the locals.
Small actions from many people really do make a difference for the wildlife that depends on healthy oceans 💙🌊🐬
Photo taken by wildlife guide & photographer Sarah Michelle Wyer today on Suncatcher.
***please do share this post but please DO NOT remove the watermark / name / logo under copyright between Sarah and Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips.
