Drone Footage Shows Super Pod of Risso’s Dolphins in California

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Monterey Bay Whale Watch recently sent out a scouting boat on the coast south of Monterey ahead of its 2025 season. It was a successful scouting trip, to put it mildly. The whale-watching company wrote in a social-media post that the boat covered 62 miles round trip between Monterey and Point Sur, and, along the way, they spotted 33 gray whales, three northern right whales, and more than 1,500 Risso’s dolphins—that qualifies as a super pod.

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“Check out this SUPER POD of over 1500 Rissos Dolphins our scouting boat spent time with in Carmel Bay yesterday!!” wrote Monterey Bay Whale Watch in its Instagram post sharing drone footage of the super pod. There are so many dolphins that from up high, they just look like tiny white dots. NOAA reports that these animals typically congregate in groups of between 10 and 30. Clearly, though, they sometimes amass in huge groups that travel together.

Check out the drone footage showing a super pod of Risso’s dolphins off the coast of California:

And here’s some news coverage including an interview with the whale-watching company:

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