Delphinus delphis from the family Delphinidae are our whale watching Dana Point heroes of the sea. So many people come for the whales, but they stay for the dolphins. We have more dolphins per square mile than anywhere else on the planet!
While there is nothing common about these lively little ones other than the fact that they can be found in every ocean everywhere in the world, common dolphins are the most abundant of all of the dolphin species in our water in Dana Point, California. Over 450,000 common dolphins between two species call this beautiful place their home on earth and passengers on our zodiac whale watching tours have the best seat on the water to see them.
Gregarious, social, and always gorgeously dressed in their characteristic hourglass two-tone coloring, both of these species will travel in large family groups called pods. When multiple family groups combine we call these groups herds and these herds can be spotted in hundreds, thousands and have been recorded up to ten thousand too!
Whale watching Dana Point tours give the chance to see both short-beaked and long-beaked common dolphins right next to the boat. While their names may sound similar, zodiac whale watching with Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari’s get you close enough to almost touch them!
From the boat, we look for lots of splashing in the water and a glimpse of their tall, triangular dorsal fin set in the middle of their sleek dark back. When we see these incredibly active mammals during a whale watching Dana Point cruise there is not a bad seat in the house.
They frequently swim up to check us out and will often decide to stay and have some fun of their own using the pressure of the waves, they love bow riding and can be seen enjoying the propulsion of the wake of our stern.
Soaring to new heights with jaw-dropping high flying acrobatic leaps out of the water they show off their beautiful almond shape hourglass color patterns to our passengers smiling down at them from aboard our zodiac whale watching outings. When they breach or stampede out of the water it’s the perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse of those beautiful yellow undertones on both the right and left sides. Dana Point made famous the dolphin stampede!
When whale watching in Dana Point, short-beaked common dolphin and long-beaked common dolphin may be different types of dolphins, they also have many similarities too. Both species are as friendly as they come, weigh between 180 to 500 pounds, and have teeth! Short-beaked common dolphins are more robust and also slightly smaller than their long-beaked relatives, measuring in at six feet long which is relatively small when compared to the long-beaked common dolphin who reach lengths of 6 to 8.5 feet long.
With age comes beauty. Mature adults will have more prominent coloring whereas the youngsters are often much lighter in color. Whale watching in Dana Point also allows us to see one additional marking difference between these different types of dolphin species. The dark-colored cape covers the eye area of the long-beaked species, whereas it does not cover the eye area of the short-beaked common dolphin.