A drone captured a pod of dolphins in California: there are more than 1500

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A drone captured images of a herd of dolphins in California, swimming in Carmel Bay. What was most surprising was that it was an unusual, massive group: at least around 1500.

The particular sighting caused astonishment, and the images quickly spread around the world. The animals were Risso’s dolphins, which usually travel in groups of only 10 to 30 animals.

A herd of dolphins in California impressed with its size

“They were on the horizon, as far as the eye could see,” said Captain Evan Brodsky, from Monterey Bay Whale Watch, who captured images with a drone.

This happened on Friday, and they spotted them from an inflatable boat about 6 meters (20 feet) long. Brodsky and a small team were looking for gray whales when they came across the scene.

They then observed the animals jumping out of the bay, peeking out as they leaped into the air. This type of dolphin, with its robust body and bulbous head, can weigh as much as 499 kilograms and reach up to 3.9 meters in length.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA) determines this.

“Amazing”

Colleen Talty, a marine biologist aboard to follow the annual migration of gray whales to the breeding lagoons off the Mexican coast of Baja California, described the sighting as “amazing”.

Some, she told the AP agency, even swam in front of the boat and used the waves to propel themselves forward, a technique known as bow riding.

“So they were jumping everywhere, hitting with their tails, getting close to the boat. It looked like they were having a great party,” she detailed when describing how lively they were.

The large mix of adult and juvenile dolphins was probably the result of several groups joining together and swimming south, the specialist explained.

According to Talty, the Monterey coast is a particularly ideal place to spot dolphins because they prefer extremely deep waters. The underwater canyon in the area means they can swim much closer to the coast than in other places in California.

At first, the team did not realize the huge size of the group that appeared on Friday morning, thinking there were only several hundred dolphins.

“Once we launched the drone, I was simply amazed,” said Brodsky. “Every time I see it, I am astounded. It never ceases to amaze me,” he added.

Talty described a particularly memorable moment on Friday when she stood at the front of the boat and looked down to see several dolphins spinning on their sides and looking directly at her.

As the dolphins continued interacting with the boat, the team moved forward to make sure not to disturb them. “You don’t want to make abrupt maneuvers and potentially harm an animal,” Brodsky stated. “So we just sailed along with them. It was an incredible experience.”

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