The incident took place yesterday afternoon near Seacliff and Brighton beaches, raising concern and leading to an investigation by the Department of Environment and Water.

Footage taken by spectators, which is expected to be vital in the investigation, seems to show a young man on a jet-ski darting through a pod of dolphins as another jet-skier stays nearby.

The Department of Environment and Water has described the incident as one of the most serious breaches in recent years.

“They were very close and interrupting where the dolphins were swimming and so that is in breach of the regulations,” spokesperson Lisien Loan said.

This occurrence has sparked worries about possibly disturbing the dolphin pod that has drawn considerable interest from beach visitors recently.

“It changed their behaviour, making them all a bit erratic and start moving away from the main group,” noted local and dolphin behaviour expert Melissa Blewitt.

Under current regulations, jet-skis are required to keep a distance of at least 300 metres from marine mammals, and riders who unintentionally end up near a pod must immediately turn off their engines.

Blewitt said there is a need for increased public awareness about responsible behaviour around marine life. 

“Just the education around how to behave around marine mammals, whether it be the dolphins out here, we’ve spotted whales out here as well,” she said. 

She also called for harsher penalties for those who violate marine safety regulations.

The Department of Environment and Water is working to identify the people involved, and has promised they will face the full force of the law once found. 

“So it’s up to $100,000 fine or two years in prison for interfering with a marine mammal and breaching some of those distances,” Loan said. 

The investigation is ongoing.