A PHOTOGRAPHER captured this great shot of a dolphin jumping out of the water near one of the county’s most iconic structures.

Finn Hopson, from Brighton, managed to snap the dolphin as it leapt out of the sea near the West Pier off Brighton beach and the stunning picture went viral.

And Sussex Wildlife Trust’s chief executive Dr Tony Whitbread told The Argus it is a sight we should see more frequently.

“It’s just incredible,” he said.

“It’s one of those things that we should probably see more often, because they’re out there, but it’s so good when it happens.

“There are pods of dolphins and harbour porpoises as far north as Scotland, and I know there are a lot of them there off the coast.

“The fact that we can see them is a reflection that the sea is in a reasonable condition, although we know more work needs doing there, but we ought to be seeing them more often.”

Dr Whitbread said a possible reason for the mammals being spotted so close to the West Pier was that they were hunting fish in among the structures.

“It’s entirely possible,” he said.

“They might be looking to seek places for fish that they can eat and that might be living in the structures of the pier.

“There aren’t many reefs around off the coast of Sussex, so there might be some species using the pier structures as a replacement to that.”

Despite being a relatively normal occurrence, people are still infatuated when a dolphin pops its nose out of the water.

“I’m exactly the same,” said Dr Whitbread.

“And I can’t put a finger on it.

“It’s just fascinating.

“I think it's the fact we have these large, very intelligent mammals out there living a whole different lifestyle and spotting one in the wild is one of the remaining rare treasures.

“It seems to capture everyone’s imagination.”