DOLPHINS often delight onlookers as they surf the waves at Newcastle Beach, but there was nothing common about their performance on Tuesday.
The creatures known as common dolphins usually dwell further off the Hunter coast but travelled in to frolic with their bottlenose friends and surfers under gloomy skies during the morning.
The playful dolphins brightened an otherwise dreary day in Newcastle, with grey clouds set to hang around and bring more wet weather.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a 90 per cent chance of rain in Newcastle on Wednesday, with between four and 25mm of rain expected.
There is a medium chance of rain on Thursday and Friday, then a high chance again on Saturday.
The wet weather comes after a few cloudy days in Newcastle, with showers over the weekend and during the start of the week.
The month of August has so far brought 33.8mm of rain to the city, according to the BOM's data from the weather station at Nobbys.