FERRY passengers witnessed a rare sight in Poole Harbour – a deer swimming through the waves towards Shell Bay.

Witness Sarah Crease, who snapped a photograph of the deer earlier this week from the Sandbanks chain ferry, told the Daily Echo: “I’ve never seen anything like this before. We were just sitting there catching some sun when my boss thought he saw a seal in the water.

“We were about halfway across the harbour and the deer was towards the right of the ferry, the sea side. But the tide was pushing it back towards the harbour entrance.

“It looked like it was trying to make it towards Shell Bay but the tide was pushing it back behind the ferry and into the harbour.”

Sarah was travelling to work at the National Trust cafe on Knoll Beach when she snapped the deer on Thursday morning.

The 20-year-old from Bournemouth said: “On our way home we asked the ferry staff what had happened to it and they said it managed to get out of the harbour to safety.”

Dorset Wildlife Trust conservation officer Sam Hamer said: “Deer are actually fantastic swimmers, so seeing sika deer swimming across Poole Harbour is not as uncommon as you may think.

“It is best not to approach deer whilst they are swimming as this could cause them stress. It is a great sight to watch.”