Captain Evan Brodsky, with the Monterey Bay Whale Watch, was monitoring the area for migrating gray whales when he spotted the enormous gathering of Risso's dolphins. "They were on the horizon, I feel like as far as I could see," he recounted, according to Fox News. From a 20-foot inflatable boat, Brodsky and his small team watched mesmerized as the dolphins jumped out of the bay, peeking around as they leaped through the air.
Marine biologist Colleen Talty, who was on the trip, described the dolphins' playful behavior. "They were breaching everywhere, tail slapping, coming right over to the boat. They looked like they were having a big party," she said, according to CBS News. "We could just see literally white dots from all the Risso's dolphins, pretty much everywhere. So, we realized we had grossly underestimated at first how many dolphins there were," Talty stated in an interview, as reported by The Travel.
As they observed the dolphins, Brodsky captured footage using a drone, revealing the full extent of the gathering. "As soon as we put the drone up in the air, I was blown away," the captain said. "I kept saying, 'Look at my screen. Look at my screen. Look how many there are,'" he told CBS News.
Risso's dolphins, known scientifically as Grampus griseus, typically travel in groups of only 10 to 30 individuals, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The sighting of such a large group, known as a super pod, is rare. These dolphins have a stocky body and bulbous head, can weigh as much as 1,100 pounds (about 499 kilograms), and reach up to 13 feet (about 4 meters) long, as reported by CBS News.</p
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The large mix of adult and juvenile dolphins was likely the result of several pods coming together and swimming south. Talty explained that the area's underwater submarine canyon means the dolphins may swim much closer to shore than elsewhere along the California coast. "The Monterey coastline's special location, including its underwater submarine canyon that reaches depths of nearly 150 meters, causes dolphins to venture closer to the shores and prefer extremely deep water," she said, according to The Guardian.
Some dolphins were swimming at the front of the vessel and using the waves to propel themselves forward, a technique known as bow riding, as reported by Fox News. Talty described a moment when she stood at the front of the boat and looked down to see several dolphins turning on their sides and staring straight back at her.
"As the dolphins continued to interact with the boat, we drove straight ahead, being careful not to disturb them and making sure to stay out of their way," Brodsky told the Associated Press. "You don't want to make any aggressive maneuvers and potentially injure an animal. Of course, that's the last thing you want to do. So we just navigated along with them. It was an incredible experience," he concluded.
Studies have shown long-term bonds between adult males of the species, and they usually form smaller, more stable subgroups within large pods, with fidelity and companionship among the members. They are identified by their white scarring and markings and have adapted to live near continental shelves where they can search for prey at depths of about 600 meters. Risso's dolphins use clicks and whistles for communication and to find prey.
"Although this is not the first time we've seen such a large group, it's not a common occurrence," she said, according to The Guardian. Reflecting on the experience, Brodsky expressed his amazement. "It just blows my mind every time. It never gets old," he said, as reported by The Guardian. "It was a really memorable encounter that I won't forget for a long time," he added, according to Fox News.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch has captured video of marine mammals before. In 2015, members of the group caught a rare glimpse of a pure white albino dolphin swimming in the bay, as reported by CBS News. In 2023, the organization released footage of rarely seen orcas hunting sea lions off the California coast.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq