The ocean might seem solely a perilous place, where countless marine creatures are endlessly fighting for survival in the dark depths. But as it turns out, for our seagoing mammalian counterparts at least, life among the waves isn't harsh enough to keep from having a good time.

Recently, Dolphin Safari tour operator Captain Dave Anderson and his crew filmed a remarkable sight off the coast of Dana Point, California -- a pod of wild bottlenose dolphins engaged in a bit of playtime with a massive blue whale.

It may be a little hard to see in the video, but Anderson tells the Dana Point Patch that the dolphins appeared to be, in effect, 'surfing' on the wave generated by the 80-foot whale swimming along the surface of the water.

"This type of surfing behavior is usually seen when dolphins ride the pressure wave created in front of a boat. However, this time the dolphins were having fun and “surfing” the largest animal in the world, a blue whale," says Anderson, noting that such interspecies interaction -- particularly for amusement is extremely rare.

"Even though blue whales and bottlenose dolphins coexist in some of the same oceans, they do not run in the same social circles and are not typically seen together, making this a unique and memorable whale watching encounter for all."




Interestingly, this isn't the first time that dolphins and whales have been caught horsing around together in the wild. On a least two separate occasions, dolphins were been observed playing with humpbacks whales in a slip-and-slide sort of game they appear to have invented.

It is less clear in this recent incident if the blue whale was a happy participant, or merely trying to move on its way -- but a playful encounter with dolphins seems an opportunity worth relishing.
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