Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watchers Delight At The Sight Of Epic Dolphin Jumps

DANA POINT, CA — Ocean-goers were not disappointed this weekend when they set out from Dana Point and Dana Wharf Whale Watching tours to view ocean mammals in their unique Pacific habitat over the weekend.

Last week, Patches, Orange County's favorite dolphin, was sighted along with about 45 to 50 of her closest friends.

The crowd of onlookers were delighted when the bottlenose dolphins began jumping, showing off their high jinx.

On Sunday, October 17, we found a great pod of 30-40 offshore bottlenose dolphin including Patches, Laura Lopez— spokesperson for Dana Wharf Whale Watching—tells Patch.

"Not only did we see southern California's most famous bottlenose dolphin, Patches on every trip, the dolphin put on a spectacular show," Lopez said.

The pod of dolphins was found just north of the Dana Point harbor.

"We could see there were many young calves as they were feeding," Lopez said. Once the vessels arrived, that signified playtime for the pod of dolphins.

"Surfing behind the wake of the Ocean Adventures, they began catapulting themselves out of the water. As we all watched in amazement, they were flying through the air in every direction," Lopez said.

The passengers cheered them on with shouts of excitement and a smattering of well-deserved applause.

Many dolphins breached simultaneously as high as at least 10 feet in the air.

Patches seemed to be watching while surfing the starboard wake alongside them, according to Lopez. Even the tiny calves joined in the fun often breaching in sync with the other dolphin.

After the recent oil spill in Orange County, seeing ocean mammals delighting in our beautiful Pacific ocean is balm for the soul. Have you been on a whale watching adventure lately? Tell us about it in the comments, or by emailing your Patch editor.