Notchy the Bottlenose Dolphin has been returned to her home in the Broadwater after recovering from an apparent misadventure.

The juvenile dolphin was taken in by the Seaworld Marine Rescue Team last Wednesday, after becoming stranded high and dry on a sandbank close to Wavebreak Island.

Despite receiving initial reports she was deceased, the rescue team were surprised to find her alive yet suffering from severe exposure.

Notchy, named for the distintive notches on her dorsal fin, received expert vetinary care at Seaworld and was today well enough to be released back into her natural habitat.

Mitchell Leroy, Sea World's Curator of Mammals, said considering Notchy is a youngster, she was most likely a victim of her own misadventure and was very lucky to have survived.

"If our team hadn't been notified and if we hadn't got there in time, then this could have been a disaster," Mr Leroy said.

Notchy was reluctant to leave her carers after being released into the Broadwater. It is hoped she will now rejoin her pod, hopefully a little wiser for the experience.