Dolphin video captured off San Diego coast goes viral

A local whale watching company reports that conditions off the San Diego coast are so good, they're seeing an influx of sharks and dolphins. Gone Whale Watching has been posting videos of their recent encounters, which have generated millions of views. One in particular shows dolphins leaping out of the water right next to their boat.

"You know, when these things are going higher than the wheelhouse. It's just, it's spectacular," said Erica Sackrison.

Sackrison was the photographer aboard a Gone Whale Watching tour last week when a pod of bottlenose dolphins caught her eye, as well as everyone else's on board.

"You could just see them jumping like, 20 feet in the air, and everybody on the boat just started pointing and I'm like, what is everybody looking at? Almost feels like they were doing Olympic-style jumps, like they were just all trying to be like Simone Biles and just touch the sky and come down. It was awesome," said Sackrison.

Sackrison's videos are often posted on Gone Whale Watching's Instagram page. In just one week, the dolphin pod one has already generated over seven million views.

On the day it was taken, she says the boat encountered huge pods every couple of miles right off the coast of Mission Bay.

[mariarohmer]

What a sweetheart of a man and business owner. There's so much injury and death from boats to our precious sea animals. I really appreciate his efforts and him sharing this publicly for other boaters. Right on, man.🙌🏽

[bftvclips]

"leaping out of the air" no they are leaping in to the air😂

[zekelucente]

Years ago I was off Laguna Beach and hyper pod of dolphins of at least a thousand appeared in front of us. We stayed behind them and then moved into the middle of the pod. Finally we moved in front and looked back and it was a stampede. It’s the most amazing wildlife experience I’ve ever had.

[captainj]

Amazing video. I didn't know that dolphins could jump that high.

[norwegianblue]

How cool is it that we live in a city where we can watch dolphins fly!

[just_kos]

A fellow bicyclist and I were on the upper car deck of a Washington state ferry, so we were the only ones who saw a pod of Dahl's porpoises swimming almost flush with the hull of the ferry, they looked so close! The guy and I shared a smile, like "Ha! We're the only ones seeing this!"

[jenn]

Exactly what he said for all boat owners/operators. Go slowly and lift those engines.

[afaketwo]

Ive seen baby dolphins walk on water for about 15 to 20 feet before the dive back in. It is awesome.

[triggerbunny]

Those dolphins are just practicing for their trip back into space - "So long & thanks for all the fish!" 🙃

[Philmoscowitz]

I'm impressed by how articulate the boat captain is. He speaks like a professional speaker, or a college professor.

[ShuiYueSketchbook]

Simone Biles is now a unit of measurement for anything that jumps 😂😂😂

[julianaylor]

This a species of dolphin that likes to jump high. 🐬❤

[michaela]

Theyre showing us that the Sea World domesticated dolphins aint got nothing on them

[books]

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky"

[CaptApple]

Geographical note: Mission Bay is NOT on the coast. It's a bay. This all took place off the coast of Mission and Pacific beaches.

[mikeleeFILMS]

That one dolphin must have jumped 40 feet in the air

[Trace]

Those dolphins. How cute is that, .so darn cute ❤

[Smar-rcce]

Many surfers know to follow the anchovy reports, because it precedes apex predator activity. Understanding seasonal activities of wildlife helps you plan your water time.

[rhvoriginals]

Dolphins don’t need to be trained to do what they do in captivity. They do it naturally in the real world. I was a first mate on a fishing boat, and we would often see dolphins swimming in unison side by side. They would also often jump 20 to 30 feet out of the water. They’re a very intelligent and playful animal.

[HKim]

Amusingly, scientists say the dolphins expend less energy jumping out of the water than swimming.