Rare 'Super Pod' of Dolphins with Moms and Babies 'Leaping in Air' Captured in Breathtaking Video
Jarret Hendrickson
February 28, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Something very special has recently happened off the coast of Northern California in Monterey Bay. A boat captain recently captured stunning footage of thousands of dolphins traveling together in a rare super pod.
Among this dolphin group are mothers and their babies. Seeing so many dolphins leaping out of the sea and into the air is an incredible experience. This video offers a truly beautiful sight to behold.
Wow! What an incredible sight!
In the video, the man who spotted this incredible super pod, Captain Evan Brodsky, said, "This was just such an incredible sighting just because of the amount of dolphins that were there. It was astonishing."
Captain Brodsky said that he hoped the footage he captured of this super pod via a drone would inspire people to come out and see these dolphins "wild and free in their natural habitat."
According to the video, Captain Brodsky spotted this incredible sight while he was on a scouting trip about 10 miles away from the Monterey Bay Harbor. Among the many dolphins that Brodsky spotted were the unique northern right whale dolphin species.
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Many people in the comments section for this video were absolutely stunned by what they were seeing. A lot of the commenters remarked on how beautiful it was to see all these dolphins swimming together.
A few people in the comments section, like TikTok user Bigcountry, shared that they had encountered something similar before when they wrote, "There were hundreds if not thousands of dolphins migrating through Right Where I Was surfing. It was such an honor and a crazy experience that I just cannot explain."
Northern Right Whale Dolphins
Northern right whale dolphins, which the video noted are among the rare dolphin species without dorsal fins, are found deep within the Pacific Ocean. They usually like to swim in cold to warm waters. Their habitat can range from Western North America off the coast of California all the way to the Gulf of Alaska and stretch as far as Russia and Japan.
It is more typical to see this species travel in groups of 100 to 200. However, sometimes they will travel in groups of up to 3,000. It is estimated that the Northern Pacific Ocean is home to around 68,000 northern right whale dolphins.
People with the good fortune to see them will often describe them as "acrobatic" swimmers. These graceful creatures are capable of leaping more than 20 feet out of the water. Unsurprisingly, they are also very fast swimmers. They can swim at speeds of 16 mph on average and are capable of short bursts where they swim at 22 mph.
Conclusion
Northern right whale dolphins were just some of the species in this rare super pod. It is not uncommon for them to travel with other species, such as Pacific white sided dolphins, short-finned pilot whales, and Risso's dolphins.
According to a report from the Associated Press, several hundred of the dolphins in this super pod were Pacific white sided dolphins. Colleen Talty, a marine biologist for the Monterey Bay Whale Watch, theorized that the species could be grouping up together in order to feed on the same food, socialize, or even send off some predators.
She also added that it is somewhat rare to see baby dolphins in these groups, which made this sighting extra special. The footage was incredible to look at. We can only imagine how life-affirming it would be to see something as majestic as this in person.
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