A massive gathering of approximately 1,500 dolphins was recently spotted gliding through Carmel Bay off California’s central coast, forming a rare “super pod.” Videographer and captain Evan Brodsky of Monterey Bay Whale Watch captured the incredible moment while conducting a survey in a 20-foot (6-meter) inflatable boat.
“With our bigger boats still out having their Winter Maintenance done and getting ready for the 2025 season, we sent out our scouting boat to perform a survey on the coast south of Monterey,” reveals Monterey Bay Whale Watch. “We covered 62 miles round trip from Monterey to Point Sur and counted 33 Gray Whales, 1500+ Rissos Dolphins, 3 Northern Right Whale Dolphins.”
The boat trip was originally intended to track the annual migration of gray whales headed to breeding lagoons off Mexico’s Baja California coast. However, the team onboard were pleasantly surprised to find dolphins all around them. Captain Brodsky—who filmed the moment with a drone—recalls, “They were on the horizon I feel like as far as I could see.”
The team thought there were maybe several hundred dolphins at first. “Once we put the drone up, I was just blown away … I kept saying: ‘Look at my screen. Look at my screen. Look how many there are,’” recalls Brodsky. “It just blows my mind every time. It never gets old.”
Risso’s dolphins are easily recognized by their distinctive white scars, which cover their bodies over time. Found in oceans worldwide, they usually travel in pods of 10 to 50, forming strong social bonds within their groups. The super pod sighting is incredibly rare, giving new insights into the marine mammal’s fascinating behavior. The Monterey Bay Whale Watch team believe that the large group was created by several pods coming together and swimming south.
This particular dolphin species is naturally curious and often approaches boats to investigate. Marine biologist Colleen Talty, who was on the trip, recalls seeing some swimming at the front of the vessel, using the waves to propel themselves forward—a behavior known as bow riding. “They were just having a great time. So they were breaching everywhere… tail slapping, coming right over to the boat,” she says. “They looked like they were having a big party.”
As the dolphins playfully surrounded the boat, the team navigated with extra care. “You don’t want to make any abrasive manoeuvres and potentially injure an animal. That’s of course the last thing you ever want to do,” Brodsky explains. “So we just cruise along with them. It was an incredible experience.”
Check out footage of the super pod below and find more from Monterey Bay Whale Watch’s adventures on Instagram.
A massive gathering of approximately 1,500 dolphins was recently spotted gliding through Carmel Bay off California’s central coast, forming a rare “super pod.”
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The Monterey Bay Whale Watch team counted 33 gray whales, around 1,500 Risso’s dolphins, and three northern right whale dolphins, all swimming together.
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Sources: Check out this SUPER POD of over 1500 Rissos Dolphins our scouting boat spent time with in Carmel Bay yesterday; ‘Super pod’ of more than 1,500 dolphins spotted off California coast
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