Whale watchers in San Diego on the Southern Californian coast were treated to a nocturnal spectacle as bioluminescent plankton in the water caused animals – including a megapod of dolphins – to glow radiant blue.
Having already seen lots of fish and critters light up in the bioluminescent water, Gone Whale Watching San Diego had their sights set on something even more special: a megapod of dolphins they knew were in the area.
"Guided only by moonlight and the glowing waves, we made the 20-mile journey in what was otherwise complete darkness,” says the company’s founder Domenic Biagini on Instagram.
“In the end, we didn't find the dolphins; the dolphins found us,” says crew member Nicole Schriber who took the glowing dolphin videos.
"Small dolphin species, especially common dolphins, enjoy riding the pressure wake created by boats (known as bow-riding), so they tend to zoom on over whenever they see a boat approaching,” she explains.
And that’s exactly what happened. The dolphins appeared out of nowhere to swim alongside the boat, “all while glowing a brilliant blue,” she says. “It was absolutely surreal, like something out of a movie.”
Bioluminescent dolphins have only been filmed a handful of times before, she says, and this is some of the brightest bioluminescence they’ve had since 2020.
"Don’t ever let anyone tell you magic isn’t real,” says Gone Whale Watching on Instagram.
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