STUNNING images show dolphins breaching and playing in the Moray Firth.
Steve Truluck captured the stunning images of several dolphins as they got up close to Burghead Harbour in Moray on Monday.
The whale watching guide and skipper began snapping the images as the dolphins hunted for flatfish close to the harbour.
However, the 47-year-old explained that the dolphins left the harbour once a local tour boat arrived home.
As they left the harbour the dolphins headed straight towards the boat and began putting on a show.
However, Steve managed to capture stunning images showing the dolphins surfacing right next to the red and white vessel.
The dolphins were snapped jumping high out of the water, putting on a display for the passing boat.
One image shows a dolphin almost vertical to the water, with its nose just about to breach back below the surface.
Stunningly detailed images also show one dolphin’s head popping out of the water, showing its dark grey head and light grey chin.
Steve Truluck posted the images to his “Steve Truluck At Sea” Facebook page on Tuesday, writing: “Dolphin shenanigans.
“What a time of it the bottlenose dolphins were having yesterday!
“The pod included Kenobi and her three-year-old and as usual they came in very close to the end of Burghead Harbour looking for flatfish.
“The action at the harbour ended when they heard Barry Paskins’ boat ‘Bee-cool’ arriving home.
“They literally made a beeline for his boat and were breaching, bow-riding and getting up to all sorts of shenanigans!”
The post attracted hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from impressed Facebook followers.
Evelyn Pender Eadie wrote: “Great photos! What joy these dolphins have.”
Karen Hart said: “Amazing photos and so stunning.”
Patricia Davies replied: “Such joyful pictures!”
Beryl Harwood commented: “Brilliant photos! What a treat!”
Karen Plested also said: “Wonderful, what a great sight.”
Speaking today Steve said : “I saw the dolphins passing the local harbour heading towards Burghead.
“I travelled to Burghead and watched them to see what they would do.
“During the first lockdown I observed that certain dolphins including one called ‘Kenobi’ would regularly go to the end of Burghead Harbour wall and start hunting for flatfish.
“When I noticed Kenobi was in the pod I was fairly sure they’d go to the harbour mouth so I ran down there and sure enough they came too.
“A small group of us watched them searching with no luck for flatfish.
“Then the boat turned up in Burghead Bay. As soon as the dolphins heard it close by, they rushed over to it and started breaching all around it.
“They seemed to really enjoy playing on the pressure wave created at the front of the boat!
“The owner of the boat and his crew had a great close encounter while I took photos of them from the harbour!
“It was smiles all round because the boat owner was very respectful of the dolphins by letting them come to him on their own terms.”
