Tyne Tees Farne Islands

After the high emotions of England's World Cup exit, a little reminder of the joy and beauty in our part of the world.

Thanks to Curtis Padley for emailing the Filey seal pictures to weatherpics@itv.com

And a big thanks also for @thefarnes for tweeting the dolphin video to @Ross_Hutchinson

The north east has some of the most impressive seal colonies in the country, but this year, thanks to stormy weather, many have found themselves in trouble.

Ross has been following the progress of two who were lucky enough to be found and rescued.

.. the puffins return to the Farne Islands.

The popular characters have started to arrive on Inner Farne for their breeding season.

But they weren't the only exciting guests off the east coast today:

A diver has died after being reported missing off the coast of Northumberland.

Just before 2pm on Sunday police were told of a missing diver near the Farne Islands.

Emergency services began searching for the diver when she disappeared after surfacing alone without her diving partner just after 11am.

The Coastguard helicopter, life boats from Seahouses and coast guard rescue teams helped with the search.

At around 2.30pm the diver was found and later pronounced dead at the scene.

A spokesperson for the Coastguard said the diver was unresponsive to the CPR treatment.

They said:

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said:

A scuba diver from has won national recognition for his photography after coming up close and personal with a grey seal.

The image of the seal, taken off the coast of Northumberland, was highly commended in the British Sub-Aqua Club’s (BSAC) nationwide Great British Diving photo competition.

The photo was taken by Craig Ward while on a diving trip in the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland:

Two scuba divers have won a top award after getting closer to solving a 300-year-old maritime mystery, hidden under the sea off the North East coast.

Modern day technology, like 3D imaging, is being used by the British Sub Aqua Club, which has spent decades researching an area known as the 'Gun Rocks Cannon Site' close to the Farne Islands.

Their work has lead to the discovery of what's thought to be an 18th century Dutch vessel. The Gateshead based club has won the coveted British Sub-Aqua Club’s (BSAC) 2015 Wreck Award for their work.

The name of the ship remains a mystery, and so does her story.

The first seal pup of the year has been born on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland Coast, marking the start of this year’s annual seal count by the Islands’ resident rangers.

• Every year over 1,500 pups are born on the islands
• They have an estimated population of 5,000 seals
• Rangers spend three months each autumn counting the seals
• Breedings starts in mid-September and most pups are born in October and November

A typical day for the rangers involves landing on the seal colonies to monitor the birth of the pups. Once born, they’re sprayed with a harmless dye to indicate the week they are born, which allows the Rangers to keep an accurate count. The job is not as easy as it sounds, as protective mother seals can become aggressive when the rangers get too close.

The public can visit the island - and its seals - by making a short boat trip from Seahouses.

They are a summer visitor to the British Isles that capture the imagination and hearts of many of us

But a report out this month says they are at risk of extinction - Ross Hutchinson has been to find out more

A memorial service is due to be held in Fraserburgh for three fishermen who died when their boat sank off the coast of Northumberland.

Skipper James Noble, from Newcastle, was found in the water but died later, after the Ocean Way went down 100 miles east of the Farne Islands.

Crewmen Junito Antonio Junior and Michael Pulpul, both from the Philippines, have not been found. Two other Filipino crew members survived.

An investigation is underway.

More on this story.