Rare drone footage was posted online Wednesday showing dolphins “surfing” in front of a 30-foot humpback whale off the Dana Point coastline.
The whale, dubbed “Gooseneck,” has been hanging around local waters recently, a rarity for the whales that are only seen sporadically off Southern California. The whale has been making daily appearances for more than nine weeks.
The footage, taken by Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari the past two months, shows a pod of dolphins weaving up and down just feet away from the big mammal while spectators on the charter boat watch in awe. Dolphins are known for riding in front and along side boats, but playing with whales in this fashion - and being documented - is rare, according to Capt. Dave Anderson.
“This ‘whale surfing’ is only rarely seen and as far as we know has never been filmed with a drone before,” according to a news release about the sighting.
The humpback, nicknamed Gooseneck because of distinctive barnacles on his dorsal fin, is also known as Brutus and Mr. October. Gooseneck is almost always found feeding with the dolphins who love to surf in front of him. He recently was joined by a larger humpback. The footage also shows close up shots taken from an underwater viewing pod, and video of the whale hugging up next to the charter boat, amazing spectators who have their cameras out to take images of the sight.
The footage will appear on a National Geographic program called "United States of Animals" next year.
Until this year, humpbacks have only been seen a few times a year near shore in Orange County. Anderson, in the release, said he hopes the whale stays around all winter, but expects it will head to mainland Mexico where hundreds of its kind live.
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The whale, dubbed “Gooseneck,” has been hanging around local waters recently, a rarity for the whales that are only seen sporadically off Southern California. The whale has been making daily appearances for more than nine weeks.
The footage, taken by Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari the past two months, shows a pod of dolphins weaving up and down just feet away from the big mammal while spectators on the charter boat watch in awe. Dolphins are known for riding in front and along side boats, but playing with whales in this fashion - and being documented - is rare, according to Capt. Dave Anderson.
“This ‘whale surfing’ is only rarely seen and as far as we know has never been filmed with a drone before,” according to a news release about the sighting.
The humpback, nicknamed Gooseneck because of distinctive barnacles on his dorsal fin, is also known as Brutus and Mr. October. Gooseneck is almost always found feeding with the dolphins who love to surf in front of him. He recently was joined by a larger humpback. The footage also shows close up shots taken from an underwater viewing pod, and video of the whale hugging up next to the charter boat, amazing spectators who have their cameras out to take images of the sight.
The footage will appear on a National Geographic program called "United States of Animals" next year.
Until this year, humpbacks have only been seen a few times a year near shore in Orange County. Anderson, in the release, said he hopes the whale stays around all winter, but expects it will head to mainland Mexico where hundreds of its kind live.
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