This is the incredible moment a pod of around 400 common dolphins stampeding off the coast of Newport Beach, California next to the Ocean Explorer boat on Tuesday (August 16).

"We don't know exactly what causes common dolphins to stampede, but it's thought that the dolphins could be evading a predator, or they might be catching up to a food source. Porpoising out of the water at a high rate of speed is the fastest mode of travel for dolphins because there is less resistance in the air than in water, which is why these dolphins move in this way when they're in a hurry, and when hundreds of dolphin do this together, we call this a stampede. Southern California is one of the best places in the world to see large pods of dolphin on a regular basis, as they are here year-round in Newport Beach," said the filmer.

We had an amazing whale watching experience today aboard the Ocean Explorer with a pod of around 400 common dolphins stampeding off the coast of Newport Beach, California. If you see a tiny dolphin next to a larger dolphin, that's actually a mom & it's baby - or what we call a 'cow calf pair'!

We don't know exactly what causes common dolphins to stampede, but it's thought that the dolphins could be evading a predator, or they might be catching up to a food source. Porpoising out of the water at a high rate of speed is the fastest mode of travel for dolphins because there is less resistance in the air than in water, which is why these dolphins move in this way when they're in a hurry, and when hundreds of dolphin do this together, we call this a stampede. Southern California is one of the best places in the world to see large pods of dolphin on a regular basis, as they are here year-round in Newport Beach.