A SAILOR got the surprise of his life recently when he saw a giant leatherback turtle bobbing in the water near his boat off the coast of Pembrokeshire.

Jeff Tierney, from Pontypridd said: "It let us come right up to it. We were literally within two yards of it. We turned the engine off and started videoing.

"He seemed quite happy there bobbing up and down with us right next to him. It was absolutely fantastic."

Cliff Benson, from the South West Wales Sea Trust based at Strumble Head, near Fishguard, said: "This is one of three or four sightings off the Pembrokeshire coast this year.

"I saw one recently off Strumble Head - the first one in 20 years of watching. One has also been spotted at Pendine munching on jelly fish.

"Leatherback turtles are one of the sea's great mysteries. Not a huge amount is known about them. They are as big as your dinner table, if not bigger, and have given rise to many sea monster stories. They are quite spooky creatures.

They eat barrel jellyfish that frequent our waters, which may be why they are being seen here. However, it could also be down to global warming or merely the fact that more people are getting out on the water.

"Leatherback turtles are one of the sea's great mysteries - not a huge amount is known about them.

"They are as big as your dinner table if not bigger and have given rise to many sea monster stories. They are quite spooky creatures."

Pembrokeshire waters are fast becoming one of the best coastlines in the world for spotting sea life.

This summer, alone, fin whales, minke whales, a suspected killer whale, risso dolphins, no fewer than 2,000 common dolphins, porpoises, sun fish, blue sharks and now the world's biggest sea turtle have been seen.