Aussie surfer has close encounter with drop-in dolphin

Drop-ins are the pet hate of surfers around the globe, particularly riding a barrel.

But Byron Bay natural footer Soli Bailey was left with the memory of a lifetime after falling victim to one of nature's best wave riders - a dolphin - during a recent session in South Australia.

Surfing in the notoriously sharkey waters off the Yorke Peninsula, Bailey dropped into a hollow left-hander and pulled into a fun looking barrel.

But just as he began to emerge from the green room a grey shadow flashed through the wave face ahead.

Then, with no time to react, the interloper launched out of the water, right beside Bailey and almost knocked him from his board.

Fortunately, the drop-in was just a dolphin with the encounter proving one of the best experiences of Bailey's surfing life and the stunning footage going viral on social media.  

"It was definitely a shock and unexpected," Bailey told Daily Mail Australia

"I think it is the most amazing and beautiful thing ever happen to me surfing.

"I have never come this close to a dolphin on a wave, and to catch that on camera was incredible."