A massive pod of dolphins put on a stunning display for whale watchers off the Newport Beach coast this week, creating a scene that looked almost unreal.<\/p>\n
The extraordinary moment was captured Wednesday afternoon by Newport Coastal Adventure, which shared video of the encounter with KTLA\u2019s Chip Yost. More than 100 bottlenose dolphins were spotted swimming and leaping together near a tour boat.<\/p>\n
Instead of a few dolphins playing here and there, the animals appeared to be jumping in groups, putting on a rare, coordinated show for onlookers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens with the bottlenose dolphin is, when we spot them, we\u2019ll cruise up next to them. We\u2019ll be about 300 feet within the pod, and they usually turn and come right over to us. They love to play in the wake,\u201d said Jessica Rodriguez, a representative for Davey\u2019s Locker and Newport Landing Whale Watching. \u201cSo I think they kind of know the drill of like, \u2018Oh, this is our play time when the boat\u2019s out here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Bottlenose dolphins can be more than 10 feet long and more than 1,000 pounds, according to wildlife experts, yet they still launch high out of the ocean in acrobatic leaps.<\/p>\n
The remarkable sighting unfolded just off the Newport Beach shoreline and delighted passengers who pulled up alongside the pod.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just like surfers riding a wake of a wave,\u201d said Rodriguez. \u201cAnd when we get the boat going up really high speed, it makes a lot of waves in the back, and they ride along in those waves like a surfer. They have a lot of fun.\u201d And, it seemed, so did the whale watchers.<\/p>\n
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