iStockphoto / Kara Capaldo
Captain Evan Brodsky of Monterey Bay Whale Watch captured an unbelievable site in Carmel Bay, California last Friday when a super pod of over 1,500 Risso’s dolphins passed through the area. He was able to send up a drone to capture stunning aerial footage of the super pod which stretched as far as the eyes could see from the water (miles long).
On top of this super pod being an absolutely incredible sight to behold, one aspect of this encounter that makes it even more incredible is Risso’s dolphins typically only travel in pods of 10 to 50 dolphins. Seeing 1,500+ is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone in Carmel Bay, California last Friday.
Drone footage of the dolphin super pod off Monterey, California was shared with news outlets by Capt. Evan Brodksy. He also spoke with NBC News, saying “they were on the horizon I feel like as far as I could see.”
Colleen Talty of Monterey Bay Whale Watch spoke with the AP in the clip below (more dolphin super pod footage), saying it was “an amazing sighting because, number one, there were so many dolphins. 1,500 plus.” She went on to say that at first they guessed there were “a few hundred” Risso’s dolphins in the super pod but after Brodsky flew his drone up and they could see “white dots for all the Risso’s dolphins pretty much everywhere” they realized the scale of what was happening.
The Monterey Bay Whale Watch has additional 4K footage of the super pod on their Instagram page. When it comes to whale migration footage, their feed has always been unmatched.
Risso’s dolphins bear a striking resemblance to larger whale species, IMHO. The white scarring on their bodies and round shapes of their heads bear resemblance to other whales when compared to bottlenose dolphins. To see 1,500+ of these in one location must have been the thrill of a lifetime for whale watchers last Friday.