Three women were involved in a dramatic rescue of a dolphin after it became stuck between some rocks.
Two of the three women, Amy Walker, 42, and Carrie Warrior, 57, spent 20 minutes in icecold water trying to free the distressed dolphin trapped in a rock gulley.
They noticed the aquatic mamal after initially stopping to look at a flock of ‘unusual looking’ hovering seagulls.
Amy, Carrie and Sarah Gale, 62, ran down the rocks at rock-a-nore, Hastings, East Sussex, to get a closer look.
Amy, a TV producer, threw her coat to Sarah and dashed into the water, with Carrie quickly following.
They spent over 20 minutes wrestling with the current, worrying that they wouldn’t be able to free the dolphin, whilst Sarah watched on nervously.
Eventually, however, they were able to turn the creature and release it, determined not to let the dolphin suffer.
The trio – who all play for local rounders team, Hastings Rounders – spoke after the dolphin heroics.
Amy said: “It was pretty tough going because the sea was rough and we couldn’t get a sure footing on the seabed because of the rocks.
“The tide was coming in so we were getting knocked over and having to pick each other up, as well as trying not to stress the dolphin even more.
“I was telling her she would be ok. We were at the tail end because we weren’t sure if she would bite us – she was really heavy.”
Carrie, an artist, added: “Because the water was choppy, we couldn’t see the rocks under the water, so we were getting battered.
“Several times I thought we weren’t going to be able to free her but how can you walk away and watch such a creature suffer? She was a beauty.
“It took more than twenty minutes of both of us manoeuvring the dolphin before we were able to turn it and finally release it.
“It was definitely a two-woman job, but then we are always a team at Hastings Rounders!”
Amy added: “Seeing her swim off into the distance was a really beautiful moment. We hope she’ll be okay.”
The three women had been out on the rock-a-nore beach for their Christmas walk on December 29th when they spotted a fox and hovering seagulls.
Amy now believes this had something to do with the dolphin, with the fox perhaps smelling blood, she said.
After spotting the distressed animal – which they originally believed to be a shark – they sprang in to action.
Carrie said: “We all thought it was a shark to begin with.
“By the way it was thrashing, we knew it was stuck in a rock gulley. I thought how can we pull its tail with teeth the other end?!”
Sarah, a retail assistant, added: “When we got closer we could see it wasn’t a shark but a dolphin or maybe a porpoise.
“Amy had read something about not approaching beached animals and she was trying to google it but we couldn’t get signal but we could all tell that time was running out for it.
“So then Amy just said ‘Hold my coat!’, and before I knew it Amy and Carrie were in the water.”
Sarah revealed that Carrie had been speaking about plucking up the courage to go for a dip before they leaped in to action.
“We hadn’t played rounders for two weeks so we were keen to get out for a walk” said Sarah, who snapped the photos of her friends in the water.
“The walk was really beautiful, and Carrie had said she wished she had the courage to go for a swim about half an hour before they both ended up in the water!
“This was definitely a win for Hastings Rounders!”
Amy – a regular sea swimmer – warned others to stay out of the water at this time of year and seek professional advice before approaching a wild animal.
She confirmed the dolphin safely swam off in the direction of Bexhill, west of Hastings.
