On a whale-watching tour in Monterey Bay, California, Evan Brodsky and his team spotted only one gray whale after four hours of searching. Instead of returning, Brodsky felt compelled to stay out. They initially saw about 15 dolphins, which quickly grew to thousands, creating a scene that looked like the water was “boiling.” Brodsky estimated over 2,000 northern right whale dolphins and Pacific white-sided dolphins formed a rare “superpod.” This large gathering likely resulted from an abundance of food in the nutrient-rich bay. Despite his experience, Brodsky found each sighting exhilarating, remarking, “It’s like the first time every time.”
Last Friday, Evan Brodsky and two colleagues from a whale-watching tour company ventured out on a small inflatable boat, scanning the vibrant blue waters of Monterey Bay, located along California’s central coast, in search of gray whales.
After four hours of looking, they had seen just one whale.
However, instead of returning to shore as is typical, Mr. Brodsky, who serves as a boat captain and videographer for Monterey Bay Whale Watch, felt a strong instinct that something extraordinary awaited them, prompting him to stay on the water a bit longer.
Initially, they encountered around 15 dolphins swimming in unison. The crew followed this small pod, recognizing that dolphins are social creatures that prefer to travel in larger groups.
Within half an hour, the number of dolphins had surged from 15 to hundreds, eventually reaching thousands.
“I just took a quick look and scanned the horizon; about a mile and a half away, the water appeared to be bubbling,” Mr. Brodsky, 35, recounted. “It was frothing. There were just so many dolphins.”
While he had previously witnessed pods numbering in the hundreds or thousands, this was the first time he had seen such a vast aggregation of northern right whale dolphins, mingled with Pacific white-sided dolphins. His past experiences had only shown him a few hundred of this species at any one time.
With the aid of his drone and his extensive experience at sea, Mr. Brodsky estimated that their pod consisted of over 2,000 dolphins.
“Throughout the entire experience, we kept saying, ‘Oh my gosh, this is unbelievable!’” he recalled. Even with regular outings on the water, Mr. Brodsky admitted that each dolphin sighting still gives him “butterflies.”
Spotting a superpod of thousands of northern right whale dolphins is quite rare, even though this species is known for its sociable nature and tendency to join others, noted Dorian Houser, director of conservation biology at the National Marine Mammal Foundation.
“The groups I typically see are much smaller,” Dr. Houser commented, mentioning his own experiences in Monterey Bay.
Dr. Houser speculated that the dolphins had gathered in such a large number due to an abundance of food available on the day of the sighting. He explained that a unique canyon exists in the bay that contributes to a nutrient-rich environment, attracting a variety of wildlife.
Among the unusually large assemblage of northern right whale dolphins, Mr. Brodsky noted the presence of mothers with calves, which he had seen only a handful of times in the past.
The whale watchers were careful not to disrupt what Mr. Brodsky termed a “superpod” by maintaining a safe distance and maneuvering parallel to them; however, the dolphins occasionally swam right alongside their boat.
Mr. Brodsky has encountered other superpods before, including a month ago when he filmed approximately 1,500 Risso’s dolphins in Carmel Bay, situated south of Monterey Bay. Nonetheless, he expressed that seeing these large groups is always a fresh experience.
“It’s the best feeling,” Mr. Brodsky stated. “It’s beyond words.”
Christina Morales contributed reporting.