A boat full of whale watching passengers witnesses thousands of dolphins near Dana Point, California.
A huge pod of about 1,000 Common Dolphins stampeded off the coast of Dana Point, California, like a herd of wild horses. A dolphin stampede has been observed twice recently, but is believed to be very rare. The line of wild dolphins could be seen from miles away churning up the water. During a whale watching tour, whale watching passengers and crew aboard Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari, watched as the dolphins turned and stampeded directly over to the boat. Often this unusual behavior happens without warning or without anything frightening them — as was the case this time.
Ecstatic passengers aboard Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari were able to see the dolphins from below surface with the Eye-to-Eye Underwater Viewing Pods. In the two Underwater Viewing Pods, passengers are able to be one of the pod and feel what’s it like to swim with wild dolphins without getting wet.
Dana Point is in Orange County, Southern California, which has the greatest density of oceanic dolphins per square mile of anywhere in the world. This includes nearly 450,000 common dolphins like the ones in the video above. Porpoising is their fastest mode of travel as there is less resistance in air than water. Dolphins are here throughout the year, sometimes in herds numbering upwards of 10,000.
In addition to incredible dolphins, Dolphin Safari whale watchers met several gray whales making their annual migration to Baja, California. At one point the herd of stampeding dolphins adjusted their course and headed right at the gray whales! Don’t worry for the whales though, they avoided the dolphins who were of no threat and are continuing their journey south.
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Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari offers daily, year-round, dolphin and whale watching trips from Dana Point Harbor aboard a hi-tech catamaran with Eye-to-Eye Underwater Viewing Pods and LIVE broadcasting from www.whalewatchingtv.com.
View Larger Map Satellite view of Dana Point, California — about 50 miles north of San Diego.
See also …
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