Rare Dolphin “Stampede” Caught on Film

Boaters off Dana Point in Southern California this past weekend suddenly found themselves smack in the middle of a dolphin stampede described by the seasoned sea-goers as one of the most amazing things they’d ever seen.

Numbering as many as 1,000, the common dolphins seemed to start their race instantly, as one observer put it, “like someone fired a gun.” Quickly reaching speeds in excess of 25 miles an hour—faster than the boats they surrounded—the huge pod of seagoing mammals could be seen from miles away as they charged through the waters for reasons that are still unclear.

And the breathtaking dolphin run, an extremely rare phenomenon, occurred not once, but twice: first on Saturday and again Sunday, when the race was captured on video.