Epic Dolphin Stampede Filmed Near Dana Point, California (VIDEO)

We're not sure what these dolphins are running towards -- or away from -- but we just can't shake the feeling that we should be following.

Last week, some lucky whale watchers got to witness a giant pod of dolphins cutting through the ocean water near Dana Point, Calif, just as the setting sun neared the horizon.

This is by no means the first sighting of such awesomeness off the coast of Dana Point. On their whale watching website, Dana Wharf documents each time a whale or dolphin is sighted on one of their tours. So far, the list includes an entry for every day of this month.

Of course, not all recent dolphin news has been so good. Earlier this month, a group of 11 dolphins became stranded off the coast of Cape Cod. Fortunately, rescuers were able to get all but one of them released back into the water.

For more Dana Wharf whale watching videos, click over here.

WATCH:

Comments

[ProgressivePatriot76]

09:36 PM on 02/18/2013

so long and thanks for all the fish.

[dwms02]

11:42 PM on 10/09/2012

I've studied whales and earthquakes for 40 years and am certain that these animals can detect precursor signals. My guess is that the dolphins were frightened by geomagnetic precursor signals coming from the geothermal hot spot underlying the Salton Sea, 100 miles to the east. There was large swarm of quakes that started in the area south of the Salton Sea on August 1st.

The build up of extreme stress in this area generate precursory signals, but the main event these signals predicted never took place. In other words, nature sent out a false alarm. Sometimes the release of seismic stress is gradual and smooth and no large quake is recorded. These silent "quakes" have been observed in the the Puget Sound area among other places.

Now, if one follows the semiconductor theory advanced by Dr. Friedemann Freund, any directional or uneven stress on a rock will generate flows of positive charge carriers in the rock. In the lab, these charges have been shown to continue for quite some time after the stress in applied. Many field effects have been thus duplicated and/or discovered in the lab, including the production of radio waves, coronal discharges, generation of hydrogen peroxide from water, and other effects.

Capt. David Williams
Deafwhale Society

[CA90046]

09:04 PM on 03/03/2012

The dolphins must be aware on some level of the March 11, 2011 Tsunami and Nuclear Leak that occurred. The nuclear tsunami waste is headed for the California coast. Those poor dolphins reminded me of a Godzilla movie and the stampede to get away from the nuclear monster. It is said dolphins have their own language, have emotions, and are capable of abstract thought. If true, perhaps they finally got the message of the nuclear waste that will probably harm them if they don't get out of the area?

[OYL KHAN]

09:41 PM on 03/01/2012

Escaping toxic debris in the ocean?

[dallwig]

04:39 PM on 03/01/2012

I was on the ship when this was filmed. All I can say is it was amazing! No harm at all done to the dolphins, the ship's captain made it clear that safety was one of his primary concerns. You can't see it from this video, but they surrounded the boat 360 degrees. We were in the back of the boat watching them play as they jumped and leaped over the wake. It was a great thing to see.

[Lindsgrace33]

09:05 AM on 03/01/2012

After watching The Cove and seeing how dolphins are treated in Japan and places like Sea World...this sight makes me want to cry with joy.

[mamacat]

04:52 AM on 03/01/2012

We were sailing in the Sea of Cortez and saw huge schools of dolphins breaking the surface of the water rather often. It was an awe inspiring sight, as are the pictures from Dana Point.

On a related matter, we are destroying the oceans as never before, posing a threat to these very same dolphins...

http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/animal-diseases-increasingly-plague-the-oceans?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2012-03-01_AM

[Susy Crandall]

01:42 AM on 03/01/2012

1. Tsunami + Earthquake

It was just a gentle little tsunami
that she used to reclaim her children
They’re still counting

Her earthquake child broke faith first
a little earthly tantrum
mixing it up with a little
water near Japan

That water’s getting hotter now

The earthquake plus tsunami
mixing it up with 6 reactors
built on a fault line

Whose fault was that?

Funny little human mammals
want to control life and death
want to mix it up with
mother nature
but end only able to control death

“Lemme know,” she says
“how that works out for ya!”

[Leslie Olpin Peterson]

07:49 PM on 02/29/2012

Julie, did you take this video?

[GoodDog0325]

06:26 PM on 02/29/2012

This makes me a little uncomfortable. Are they plowing a boat right through them? Can't this hurt the dolphins? I mean, you wouldn't plow through a group of swimmers. Anyone?

[lexielatte]

10:02 PM on 02/29/2012

GoodDog.. Don't worry, I was lucky enough to experience this on a boat several years ago when The Cougar Fund was taking Jane Goodall (yes THAT Jane) on a Whale Watch trip. All of a sudden, we were surrounded by hundreds of dolphins who probably thought we were a fishing boat. The Captain, who had had this happen before sped up. For several minutes, the dolphin kept up with us, leaping over and over. You could stand on the bow and look at the and see them come up from the depths and just before they got too close, disappear again. You only got to see their backs with the water pouring over them. They surrounded us like this 360 degrees around the ship and while I don't ascribed human emotions to animals, I swear they were playing with us and having a great time. Not one came close to hitting the boat. They were clearly in charge. As the wife of a wildlife biologist, I have seen many amazing things in the last 30 years, but none brought such joy to me and I will never forget it.

[GoodDog0325]

10:17 PM on 02/29/2012

Thank you for responding and for sharing such a great story. Best regards!

[Steelheadangler]

05:26 PM on 02/29/2012

This is a very common occurrence. I have seen dolphins do this countless times off the California coast. It seems to me that they are just moving and not herding fish because generally speaking they are moving very fast and in a straight line.

[DrugSniffingCat]

03:50 PM on 02/29/2012

Beautiful! Dolphins are such beautiful, intelligent, amazing creatures

[likeyoung]

11:20 AM on 02/29/2012

Dolphin marathon?

[boxjelly]

10:54 AM on 02/29/2012

They were herding fish, they do this all the time. It's really cool to watch them do it right beside your boat, amazing sight.

[cuoi]

10:23 AM on 02/29/2012

Are they herding fish? Having a group bowel movement before going to bed? Preparing to leave the planet?