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Science

Photographer Captures Video of Awe-Inspiring ‘Super-Pod’ of Thousands of Dolphins

Oct. 1, 2012 1:45pm Liz Klimas

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a dolphin stampede with thousands of the marine mammals, but that doesn’t make this latest footage of a rare, “super-pod” event any less epic.

Photographer Chase Jarvis from Seattle captured the event, which he describes on his blog as a “top 10 life moment” off the coast of South Africa. Jarvis writes on his blog that he and a colleague were sailing when the water appeared to “boil” with bait fish for about a mile — in all directions. He calls this a “ball of bait fish.” Then they saw the dolphins.

Photographer Chase Jarvis Captures Thousands of Dolphins Off Coast of South Africa

(Image: YouTube)

Here’s his account:

Only then did we realize we were experiencing the rare “superpod” of dolphins. Not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands of them — so thick you could have walked across their backs had they been game for it.

As they approached our boat and quickly surrounded us, our cameras were blazing…every camera, iPhone, point-and-shoot, DSLR, GoPros, every camera imaginable was firing off frames…until we realized that they were with us, and that the moment was actually too rare to shoot photos. After just a few minutes, we all put down our cameras, we stopped talking, and we simply took in the beauty with our eyes. In all of my days as a photographer, there have only been a handful where I’ve been witnessing / participating in an event like this and simply stopped shooting to take it in. This was one of those moments.

(Image: YouTube)

Watch the few minutes of footage that was recorded of the event:

Check out Jarvis’ blog post for more information and to see some still shots of the dolphin “stampede” here.

(H/T: The Grind)

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Comments (55)

GuardMom
Posted on October 2, 2012 at 11:25am
I experienced this about 10 years ago returning to Long Beach, CA from Catalina Island. I would say it was hundreds of thousands of dolphins. I didn’t know it was so rare, but it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced in the ocean! Unfortunately I only had a disposable camera with me at the time!

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- DonLukas
  Posted on October 2, 2012 at 2:07pm
  I saw one too in 05 or 06 in the same place.
  
  Returning from the Catalina YMCA the boat driver suddenly took a half mile wide left turn circle in the middle of what I thought were millions of dolphins.
  
  They were so thick you could walk on their backs all the way to san pedro beach.
  
  One of the greatest acts of nature I’ve ever witnessed.
  
  My cell phone didn’t have a camera back then.
  
  No fish for miles had a chance that day.
  
  Report this comment
- Honestybefore truth
  Posted on October 2, 2012 at 9:10pm
  I have seen pods this size around Catalina on numerous occasions as well. (Over a span of 13 summers at Howland’s Landing.) So I don’t think that they’re all that rare, buy they are awe inspiring. One of my ski-boat drivers took an amazing photograph of mother and baby dolphin leaping over campers in the bow of his boat. IF my memory serves, these larger pods coincided with seasons that brought large concentrations of krill, or other bait, to the waters around the island.
  
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Sandra
Posted on October 2, 2012 at 4:32am
Must have been an awesome event to watch in real-time.

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Lordcsmith
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 10:51pm
no they are not, watch some shark week.

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Kaoscontrol
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 5:57pm
Awe… so cute and nice… but the unfortunate reality is, in South Africa something like this is usually being chased by a large pod of hungry Great White sharks, licking their chops.

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- godhatesacoward
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:22pm
  Not likely Kaos.
  
  Report this comment
- godhatesacoward
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:23pm
  Great whites are solitary sharks.
  
  Report this comment
- DonLukas
  Posted on October 2, 2012 at 2:09pm
  So many experts on one site truly amazing.
  
  Report this comment
LizzieTookAnAxe
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 5:47pm
To the Goldman…as a Fall River native I love and appreciate New Bedford fisherman :)

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LeadNotFollow
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 4:54pm
…
Dolphins are the second best creatures God created. Dogs being the best.
God is so thoughtful, to have given mankind both of these animals, who bring joy into our lives, who trust us, and love us unconditionally. We are truly blessed.

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:11pm
  @LEAD… for you it goes:
  1. Dogs
  2. Dolphins
  3. Mankind (maybe)
  
  ????? Who is the Liberal type here?
  
  Report this comment
- forthepeople
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:28pm
  Its Bush’s fault !
  
  Report this comment
MajorLeagueInfidel
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 4:45pm
So long and thanks for all the fish.

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cranberry
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 4:14pm
How wonderful!! Thanks Blaze!

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Eastinfection
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 3:13pm
Dolphins are delicious:

GRILLED DOLPHIN:
1 1/4 lb. thickly sliced dolphin
8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 c. rice vinegar
Salt if desired
1/2 tsp. pepper, black lg. ground

Dinner for 4. Cut off any dark meat on dolphin. Marinate 4 even slices of dolphin in large bowl. All ingredients mixed for at least 6 hours. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Approximately 10 minutes total for 1 inch fillets. Baste with marinade mix while grilling.

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- Michigander
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 4:27pm
  go away
  
  Report this comment
- olderjarhead
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 4:49pm
  Thats a recipe for dolphin THE FISH (mahi mahi, dorado) not mammal you knucle head.
  
  Report this comment
- LeadNotFollow
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 5:01pm
  …
  INFECTION….
  You seem like the liberal Obama type, who eats dogs too.
  There is no place on this website for heartless TROLLS.
  
  Report this comment
- godhatesacoward
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 5:28pm
  I had fresh dolphin last night . Delicious!
  
  Report this comment
- godhatesacoward
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 5:32pm
  Limit on dolphin….10/per person or 60/per vessel per day.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 6:49pm
  LOL.. You guys are so predictable.
  As it so happens, i AM a heartless carnivore that regularly eats cows, pigs, and chickens.
  I don’t eat fish.
  Even the mammals.
  I was curious about the reaction, though…… ;D
  
  Report this comment
- godhatesacoward
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:38pm
  Hey East , a couple of years ago I was at my local bar enjoying a tasty beverage and some fried calamari. A tourist came up to me and asked what was in the basket. I replied “Dolphin blow holes”.
  ” What???” She replied. “Yep we just wrangle up a bunch of dolphin and cut out thier blow holes and let them go.” “Do they grow back?” “Oh noway, they die a painful death!” Her mouth dropped wide open and stormed out of the bar!
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:19pm
  @GODHATESA…. lol… nice.
  
  Report this comment
- Honestybefore truth
  Posted on October 4, 2012 at 7:00am
  He’s messing with you ( I hope! ). There is a species [Coryphaena hippurus] that has as one of it many common names Dolphin(fish), as well as: Dorado, Mahi Mahi, Lampuga, Lampuka, Lampuki, Rakingo, Calitos, or Maverikos. It is a relatively long, narrow width, pelagic fish with a tall broad forehead and bright verdant green and yellow coloration. Very tasty! If he is actually purposing eating the oceanic mammal than I would say: Uck! you mind as well be eating a Democrat because they less intelligent than a Porpoise.
  
  Report this comment
thegoldman
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:42pm
They are chasing sardines which number in the billions for a school……

They will follow the school eating until the school breaks up into thousands of smaller schools all the time feeding…

And many of those thousands of schools will be eaten to the last fish, Dolphins, Tuna, Sharks and hundreds of other fish feast on this annual migration of sardines…

A new bedford fisherman…..

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- LizzieTookAnAxe
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 5:43pm
  As a Fall River native I love and apprciate New Bedford fishermen :)
  
  Report this comment
- LizzieTookAnAxe
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 5:45pm
  As a Fall River native I love and appreciate New Bedford fishermen :)
  
  Report this comment
Lordcsmith
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:36pm
I don’t know about any of you folks but I get the distinct feeling that they are about to break into a chorus of “So long, and thanks for all the fish!”

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FTNECESSITY
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:20pm
They may be Dusky Dolphins or another black/white variety…but not Orca.

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FreedomOne
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:16pm
Banned from CNN thinks Obama is white also. LOL orcas…..

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FreedomOne
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:15pm
Those are not Orcas! There are 32 types of Dolphins. Those are common dolphins! Orca whales look completly different than those pictures. If you cannot tell the difference between the two then I don’t know what to say. Maybe you think Obama is white also…..

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- godhatesacoward
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 3:01pm
  Yep,common dolphin.
  
  Report this comment
vic138
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:11pm
I’ve seen pod’s of dolphins a mile off the coast of southern california at least a mile long. THOUSANDS of dolphins. In the distance it looks like there are huge winds, but the wind is perfectly calm…

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wordsofwisdom
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:01pm
Fantastic footage

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DimmuBorgir
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 1:52pm
dolphins doing what dolphins do?? AMAZING!! :P

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- Kupo
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:22pm
  just want to point out your excellent taste in metal.
  
  Report this comment
- DimmuBorgir
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:54pm
  HA HA thanks, you little moogle
  
  Report this comment
gsplgtr
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 1:52pm
And there is no God….Really?

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- floridareader
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:21pm
  You’re right. It would be interesting listening atheists and evolutionists to explain, if we {human kind} are the result of evolution, how is it that no other species reach the intelligence level that we have.
  Oh, wait maybe it was unfair evolution, right?
  
  Report this comment
- SimpleTruths
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 3:51pm
  What does a pod of dolphins have to do with whether God exists or not? Lamest comment ever.
  
  Report this comment
- WhiteFang
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 4:20pm
  SimpleTruths,
  
  Do you ever read what you type? You probably think you are pretty clever but do you ever contemplate how stupid you sound?
  
  Report this comment
- SimpleTruths
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 5:02pm
  FLORIDAREADER
  Evolution isn’t about fairness, it’s about survival and natural selection. Modern human’s exist because our smarter ancestors survived. They existed because their smarter ancestors survived, and so on and so on. That’s how it works, fairness doesn’t have a part to play in that at all.
  
  Report this comment
Small World
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 1:51pm
Awesome.

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SREGN
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 1:49pm
A bait ball is the ocean’s version of the China Buffet.

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bannedfromCNN
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 1:48pm
Pics 2 and 3 show Orcas, not dolphins…

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- DimmuBorgir
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 1:55pm
  yup
  
  Report this comment
- MadenNZ
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:02pm
  Had a few black/white porpoise off the coast where I was raised. Could possibly similar species?
  
  Report this comment
- Kupo
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:14pm
  LOL those were not Orcas.
  
  Report this comment
- idaho1
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:16pm
  These are not Orcas. There are several species of Black and White Dolphins. Google it.
  
  Report this comment
- Kupo
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:17pm
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_dolphin
  
  Report this comment
- GodHatesFigs
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:25pm
  Orcas are dolphins.
  
  Report this comment
- Kupo
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:38pm
  Yeah, and dolphins are whales. Doesn’t change the fact that there were no orcas shown in any of those pictures.
  
  Report this comment
- idaho1
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 2:44pm
  @godhatesfigs… True that, but this is splitting hairs and distracts from the description of the pods that are depicted in this story/event. Yes Orcas fall within the dolphin family, but obviously, these are not Orcas. Just like Crappie are of the Bass family, these are not large mouth.
  
  Report this comment
- godhatesacoward
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:27pm
  Wrong . Common dolphin.
  
  Report this comment

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