Rachel Shields

Jan 11, 2025 | thesun.co.uk | Rachel Shields

BOBBING on surfboards in the shallows off Branksome Beach, my son Ralph, instructor Indie and I are the only creatures in sight. Until, that is, a fin pops up 20ft away. Swallowing my panic at the (admittedly unlikely) prospect a Great White is making its way along the South Coast, we watch as a dolphin pootles past. It’s pretty amazing — the stuff of exotic holidays rather than a weekend at the British seaside — and makes braving the day’s torrential rain worth it.