Dolphins Spotted At Main Beach In East Hampton Wednesday

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The red flag was up on the lifeguard stand at Main Beach in East Hampton Wednesday afternoon, signaling to beachgoers to stay out of the water. And while people were heeding that warning, a pod of dolphins pretty much had the ocean to themselves.

At about 1:30 pm, beachgoers began to notice the dolphins; spectators said they were jumping out of the water as they swam west in the rough surf.

A crowd on the shoreline was captivated.

“Earlier in the day we saw them swimming east. Now they're coming back,” Hamptons resident Treacy Villante told Patch.

Villante, who lives in Sagaponack, said she grew up on nearby Georgica Beach, and spent the day at the beach Wednesday with her two children. “Never saw dolphins leap so high out of the water,” she said. “It was a beautiful sight.”

Estimating that there were about ten dolphins spotted, lifeguard Dana Dragone said it was an unusual sight. “They usually never get this close to the shore or leap so high out of the water. It’s only every so often that you see the whole dolphin come out of the water like we did today.”

Dragone, who grew up in East Hampton, was especially excited to see them as it was her last day as a lifeguard; she's off to grad school in West Virginia.

“It’s like they came to say good-bye to Dana,” Mike Bottini, the lifeguard captain, said. “We’ve seen wild dolphins here before, but never quite like this.”

Dragone, who was a lifeguard at Main Beach for the past four summers, felt that perhaps the recent record-breaking hot temperatures combined with the warm water enticed the wild dolphins to put on their high jump show.

Kim Durham, Rescue Program Director for the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research, said the organization had not received any reports or photos of the dolphins, so they wouldn't be able to identify the species. She believes, however, that they may have been bottlenose or short beaked common dolphins, common in local waters. There have also been reports of large amounts on bait fish around, as well, that could have attracted the dolphins, she said.

Rachel Bosworth of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation said it's common to see dolphins in local waters.

The most important thing for the public to know, she said is that they must maintain a minimum distance of 50 yards, or 150 feet, at all times. "They are federally protected animals, and interaction can have detrimental effects on their health and well being. They are wild, so it is best to leave them be. Also, interacting with them falls under harassment," she said.

If the animals appear to be healthy and not in need of assistance, they will be left to swim freely. If that does change for any reason, then the Foundation would intervene, she said.

Photo of dolphins spotted in Orient earlier this season, courtesy of Patty Hocker.