California Boaters Experience “Dolphin Stampede”

Whale watching may be all the rage in California, but there’s another group of ocean mammals that recently put on quite a show for boaters.

Hundreds of dolphins, all members of a mega pod, were seen last week in a “stampede” just off the coast of Dana Point, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “These animals could be seen for well over a half a mile in any direction,” the agency writes on Instagram. “At one point they took off in a dolphin stampede as the concentration of dolphins came together and headed out to sea.”

Among those who witnessed the epic event were people aboard a Dana Wharf Whale Watching boat. “Today’s Dolphin stampede was one for the books!” reads a September 21st post on Dana Wharf’s website. “We’ve seen quite a few of them but this is exceptionally beautiful.”