A Co Derry man has told of how he came "within touching distance" of a pod of dolphins on the north coast.
The six mammals swam close to the shore at Portstewart Strand at around 11am yesterday, delighting beachgoers.
The appearance of the dolphins came as the north enjoyed one of its final days of the latest heatwave, which had seen hundreds of people take to numerous beaches and beauty spots.
After more than a week of hot weather - where a provisional record temperature of 31.4C was recorded in Armagh - the temperatures dropped today with cooler conditions and cloudy skies.
Many visitors to Portstewart yesterday told how they captured images of the pod as they swam close to the shoreline.
Several paddle boarders also made their way out to get close.
It is believed the pod had been chasing a shoal of herring into shallow water and were feeding on the fish.
Several people were in the water at the time and described the "amazing" experience.
Allan Bogle from Eglinton was close to the shore when he spotted the dolpins. He quickly dressed in his wetsuit and snorkelling gear and made his way into the water to get a closer look.
"They were swimming around me, diving under me, jumping over me," he told the BBC.
"The beach was full of people who were standing watching the dolphins - they put on a really good show," Mr Bogle added.
He said he spent around 15 minutes swimming with the pod of dolphins and believes they came as close as about 100ft from the shore.
"I was just in the right place at the right time," he said.
Mr Bogle said it was fantastic to get "within touching distance" of the dolphins and it was "by far the best display we've ever seen".
He added on Twitter: "I am still on a high following my experience".
"Being so close to these beautiful creatures in the wild is something I'll never forgot," he said.
It comes just months after fresh hopes that the famous dolphin Fungie may have been spotted around the waters of Cork.
A well-known resident of Dingle in Co Kerry, Fungie vanished last year, leaving tourists and locals devastated by the loss. A possible sighting was reported off the coast of Cork in April, but it was later determined not to be the missing mammal.
A thresher shark was also spotted off the coast of Rathlin Island on Saturday.
Threshers are usually found in deep, open seas and rarely stray into coastal areas.
