The boat is barely out of the bay when the first fin cuts the surface, and then there are six, then a dozen, taking turns on the pressure wave off the bow close enough to see the eye looking back.
Where you’ll see it
Along the whole coast, inshore and out. Bottlenose are the ones nearest the shore. Further out, spotted and spinner dolphins gather in pods of hundreds, spinning and somersaulting, and often with tuna beneath them.
What to know
Bottlenose live in stable social groups, hunt cooperatively and are as intelligent as their reputation. Good boat operators let them choose the encounter, hold speed and course, and never chase. Swimming with wild dolphins is discouraged for the dolphins’ sake as much as yours. Watching from the deck is plenty.
