Thousands of dolphins spotted near San Diego

[Skyfarmr]

SOTT article link: http://www.sott.net/article/258500-Thousands-of-dolphins-spotted-near-San-Diego

Capt. Joe Dutra of Hornblower Cruises said he saw a "super mega-pod" of common dolphins Thursday around noon while he was on his daily tour. He said the pod was more than 7 miles long and 5 miles wide. Dutra said the boat tour followed the pod for more than an hour and said he's never seen anything like it. "When you see something that is honestly truly beyond belief," the captain said.

This anomaly reminds me of animals frantically evacuating coastlines prior to a tsunami, or animals racing away from a fire, or getting unhinged and restless prior to an earthquake. Maybe something big could be in store for the Pacific coast/coastal waters (?)

Someone did capture this on video; just incredible... they don't seem to be feeding but fleeing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq7NRRDz_JM

Gave me goosebumps!

Mega pods aren't unheard of, in fact, almost a year ago a mega pod of an estimated 2000 dolphins formed off the California coast
( http://storyful.com/stories/20792 ); however, this year's gathering is 50 times that size.

Fascinating.

 

[Zadius Sky]

Wow, that's a lot of dolphins.

I tend to agree with you that they may be reacting to something and getting away from it en masse. This is a sign.

 

[Laura]

Notice this:

sighted off the coast of San Diego on Thursday

That is, the day before the Russian Meteor explosion. Is it still going on?

 

[obyvatel]

Notice this:

sighted off the coast of San Diego on Thursday

That is, the day before the Russian Meteor explosion. Is it still going on?

Apparently not. This 10news report (_http://www.10news.com/news/huge-swarm-of-dolphins-spotted-off-san-diego-coast-02182013) says that

[quote author=10news]
It was a frenzy that did not repeat itself. Several whale-watching cruises have passed through the same area since the sighting, but the dolphins were nowhere to be seen.
[/quote]

 

[Soluna]

If they were travelling away, it makes sense that they would not be in the same area - Which direction were they headed?

It makes me think of Douglas Adams' "So long and thanks for all the fish".

 

[Persej]

Dolphins in the west, sharks in the east!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAVN3MeZOHY

Thousands of Sharks Close Florida Beaches

Beachgoers told to stay OUT of the water as tens of thousands of sharks are seen migrating along the Florida coast. Tens of thousands of sharks have been spotted along South Florida's coast, closing down beaches across the area and forcing swimmers out of the water.

The sharks are heading north after migrating to the south for the winter in such droves that experts believe swimmers could be within 60 feet of a shark while in the water in the Palm Beach area.

Several beaches have been closed to swimmers as red flags dot the sand.

Craig Pollock, a lifeguard superviser at Midtown Beach, told the Palm Beach Daily News that Tuesday was the the first day he has seen the sharks out in such massive numbers.

'We got here this morning and they were thick, really thick,' he said on Tuesday. 'They were frenzied and chasing bait all the way up to shore. They were practically right on the sand.'

Dr. Stephen Kajiura, an associate professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University, researches shark migration and has been monitoring sharks across Palm Beach County since 2011.

'Coming into March, we're getting tens of thousands of sharks close to shore,' he said. 'In one flight from the Boca Raton Inlet to the Jupiter Inlet, we counted over 15,000 sharks less than 200 yards from shore.

'That's 1,000 sharks per square kilometer. If you were a swimmer, you would probably be within 60 feet of a shark.'

The most commonly spotted sharks are spinners and blacktips, but the team has also observed hammerheads, tigers, lemons and bulls.

They will distribute along the East Coast as far north as North Carolina, he said.
Kajiura added that when he flies over the areas, he can see swimmers close to the sharks, yet said the animals are unlikely to bite anyone.

'For the most part, Palm Beach County is fortunate because we have nice clear water usually,' he said.

'Sharks can see a person and distinguish it from prey.'

Dr. Robert Borrego, the trauma medical director at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, said he sees about five or six shark bites a year, and most are minor but susceptible to infections.

Experts say swimmers can protect themselves from being bitten by a shark by swimming along beaches where lifeguards are working.

Scientists say sharks are attracted to silver and the colors yellow and gold, so jewellery should be left on the shore.

The only suspected shark bite in the area so far this year was on February 10 when Cole Taschman, 16, was bitten on the hand while surfing near Chastain Beach. He needed 12 stitched.

 

[KJN]

Perhaps both sharks and dolphins migrate enmasse but maybe this year they are traveling closer to shore than normal? Seems strange that both shores have the same peculiarity.