Tomsd

Fiddely Foo. Trying to copy the website address for the GREAT pic on the front of today's San Diego paper - which shows a surfer on the front/top edge of a big/breaking wave - and a dolphin jumping out the backside.

Just classic.

Will try more later but perhaps you can find it on the SD Union Tribune web page. There is one great pic of a couple lasses in swimsuits - sitting on top of a VW van - watching the surfers. Not sure if that is from yesterday - but it well could have been given our recent clear/warm weather.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/

Gretchen

There were other pictures of the school of dolphins IN the wave!! Spectacular.

rjw_lgb_ca

I think I heard about that yesterday evening driving home.

You never know when you'll run into pods of porpoises in this area. In 2012 I was on a Catalina Express catamaran out of Long Beach heading to Avalon; just ten minutes before docking, the captain cut the engines and announced that he was going to have to wait for the large pod of porpoises surrounding the boat! I rushed out to the deck and got the thrill of my life-- porpoises welcoming me and my husband to Catalina Island (hey, I know they were there for US ). I had no idea it would be such a rush, but it was. Frolicking, jumping, hundreds of them. Incredible. I'll remember that to my dying day.

Sometimes it's NICE to live in southern California...! Sometimes.

Diamantina

We saw those images of the surfing dolphins on TV here in New Zealand. They provided a more upbeat counterpoint to the dire footage being broadcasted of the dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan (The Cove).

The marine life off California can be spectacular, especially during whale watching season. On boat trips out to the Farallon Islands off San Francisco, I've seen dozens of whales and hundreds of dolphins, including Risso's Dolphins, Pacific White Sided Dolphins, Northern Right Whale Dolphins, Dall's Porpoises, and shy Harbor Porpoises.

Tomsd

Am still trying to get yesterday's front page pic from the E-dept of the SD Union Trib - but there was another interesting dolphin/surfer sighting/video - from Santa Barbara.

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/01/2...6pLid%3D432780

It's amazing how dolphins feel at home around man - and we have had them riding the bow wave of fishing boats more times than I can remember - or big pods just cavorting around the boats.

As far as I know - at least on the smaller fishing boats - only 75 feet long or so long - they have not had to stop for dolphin pods - who seem to get out of the way very easily. Am assuming the Captain on the boat from Catalina stopped so the passengers could enjoy the frolicking pod?

rjw_lgb_ca

Actually, I think the captain was concerned about the double-hull injuring some of the porpoises, who were swimming very close and seemingly not watching out for the boat (which, you must remember, is quite fast and carrying 300+ passengers on most runs to Avalon). Still, everyone rushed out to get a glimpse-- and it was worth it. Totally thrilling!