Surprise! Charleston Family Encounters Dolphin While Boating on Stono River

South Carolina resident Deborah Hoats captured video of a dolphin encounter she experienced while sailing with her family on their new boat in the Stono River, a tidal channel southwest of Charleston, on August 8, 2019.

Hoats told Storyful she and her husband decided to take their new boat out on the river for the first time while celebrating her mother’s 73rd birthday. The video shows the dolphin swimming close to the boat, poking its head out of the water and interacting with the boaters.

“We were heading back in from a nice leisurely day around the Charleston Harbor and Stono River when her [Hoats’ mother] visor blew off and we had to go back and get it,” said Hoats, “that’s when my husband noticed the dolphin and then I started recording.” Credit: Deborah Hoats via Storyful