Newborn Gray Whale Swims With Dolphins Off Southern California Coast

Domenic Biagini of Gone Whale Watching San Diego was thrilled when he captured drone footage of a newborn gray whale and its mother swimming off the California coast, but his day got even better when the whales were joined by a group of dolphins.

“This a unique video for a couple of reasons,” he told Storyful. “First, there’s a newborn baby gray whale! Better yet, a pod of dolphins are playing with it. Better yet, it’s two different species of dolphins,” he added.

In the video posted to Gone Whale Watching San Diego’s Facebook page on January 7, the pair of whales can be seen swimming alongside a pod of dolphins — but not just any pod. Captain Dom observed the pod as being made up of two different species, with some of them appearing to be common dolphins and the others Pacific white-sided dolphins.

The whales were most likely heading south to Baja California, Mexico, where they spend their winter months mating and giving birth, according to reports.

Both species of dolphin are known to dwell near the coast of San Diego, with the common dolphin preferring coastal, warm-temperate waters, and the Pacific white-sided dolphin avoiding both tropical and Arctic waters. Credit: Gone Whale Watching San Diego via Storyful