'Super Pod' of Over 1,500 Dolphins Swims Off California Coast

A "super pod" of over 1,500 Risso's dolphins was spotted swimming and leaping in Carmel Bay, California, on January 24. Evan Brodsky operated the drone that captured this video as he was aboard a scouting boat with Monterey Bay Whale Watch. He told Storyful Risso's dolphins are common off the California coast, but said he doesn't typically see super pods like this one. "On this day they were very social. We put up our drone and were amazed at what we saw," Brodsky said. In an https://www.instagram.com/p/DFQKC4ipV7V/ Instagram post , Monterey Bay Whale Watch said they sent a scouting boat out to perform a survey off the coast. "Check out this super pod .... We covered 62 miles round trip from Monterey to Point Sur and counted 33 gray whales, 1,500+ Risso's dolphins, and 3 northern right whale dolphins," the caption said. Brodsky said his main purpose for sharing the video was to "inspire someone to come see these animals in the wild where they belong, instead of buying a ticket to a captive marine park." According to the https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/rissos-dolphin National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , Risso's dolphins are typically found in groups of 10-30, though they have been reported as "solitary individuals, in pairs, or in loose aggregations in the hundreds or thousands." (Footage by Evan Brodsky/Monterey Bay Whale Watch/Storyful via Getty Images UGC)