No one knows exactly why the dolphins like to dart across the water – but when they do, especially in big numbers, it’s a remarkable sight.
Thousands of dolphins on Monday, Feb. 22, “stampeded” next to a Newport Coastal Adventure’s inflatable boat excursion, giving passengers a thrill as they sped alongside the racing marine mammals.
Some of the dolphins, which weight several hundred pounds, came up right next to the zodiac boat as they darted across the ocean off Newport Beach.
One passenger summed up the rare encounter: “Oh my gosh.”
The moment was caught on video as the 2,000 or so common dolphins, including small dolphins next to larger ones, likely cow-calf pairs, raced across the surface of the sea.
“We don’t know exactly what causes common dolphins to stampede, but it’s thought that the dolphins could be evading a predator such as orcas, or sharks, catching up to a food source, or they could be on the move to meet up with another pod of dolphins,” Jessica Roame, education manager for Newport Landing & Davey’s Locker Whale Watching in Newport Beach, said in a description of the event. “Porpoising out of the water at a high rate of speed is the fastest mode of travel for dolphins because there is less resistance in the air than in water, which is why these dolphins move in this way when they’re in a hurry.”
Southern California is one of the best places in the world to see large mega-pods of dolphin on a regular, year-round basis.
Source: Orange County Register
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