Drones Over Dolphins

Top AirVuz contributor Clark Lupton brings us this fascinating drone video of a group of Dolphins "chasing" a giant cargo ship near the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.  Perhaps "chasing" isn't the right term - the dolphins are actually swimming just ahead of the ship's massive bow, presumably being pushed along the surface by the ship's momentum.  According to Lupton, during the winter, dolphins can be seen near most of the ships heading to port.  This video was picked as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week. 

What exactly is a "dolphin stampede"??  To find out, check out this amazing drone video from top AirVuz contributor and pilot jayxlamar.  He estimates that there were 500 dolphins in the vicinity, all moving at considerable speed.  These "stampedes" are really mass migrations, as the graceful sea mammals head north or south (depending on the time of year) in search of food.  While these are common occurrences, they almost always occur some distance out to sea and are rarely seen by humans.  

If you think that dolphins always stay away from the surf line, you'll need to watch this video.  Australian contributor and drone pilot Jaimen filmed a large group of dolphins swimming off the shore in Australia.  They repeatedly ride the surf in and then break away seconds before getting beached, literally  leaping out of the water to do so.  This video was a 2017 Drone Video Award Animal Category Nominee.  It was filmed in Western Australia, home of some of the world's best dolphin-watching waters.  

Filming dolphins was one of those things which just couldn't be done before the age of drones.  And, as you'll see in this excellent drone by AirVuz contributor and pilot Videosophy, watching dolphins play from an aerial perspective is mesmerizing. His capture of these graceful sea mammals in the waters of Hawaii will delight dolphin lovers of all stripes, showing as it does how social these animals are.  Hawaii is widely considered to be one of the world's best spots for dolphin-watching.  

Due to ocean currents and weather patterns, the South African city Cape Town offers a veritable cornucopia of marine mammal life.  In this amazing drone video, AirVyuz contributor and pilot Naudewasheresuper used a drone to film a pod of hundreds of dolphins swimming near a kayaker in Camp's Bay, part of the waters surrounding Cape Town.  This is the spot where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet and mix, acting as a magnet for dolphins.  The seeming synchronization of their motion is hypnotizing.

Top AirVuz content creator and pilot TheDroneBooth ventured with a drone over the Pacific waters off Newport Beach, California and did not come back empty-handed.  Plying these waters, which are a bit south of Los Angeles in Orange County, he was fortunate enough to run into a pod of 11 humpback whales and countless dolphins, literally hundreds of them.  The highly cinematic aerial views of these sea-mammal cousins frolicking in these beautiful blue waters of Orange County is not to be missed.

Top Contributor and pilot 8 FIfty Productions brings us this marvelous drone video of some dolphins frolicking off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico.  The spot shown is near Seaside, a beach town on the Florida Panhandle, between Panama City Beach and Destin.  With its plentiful food supply, the Gulf of Mexico is considered one of the world's top bodies of water for spotting dolphins.  The most common is the bottlenose variety, but other types of dolphins can be found here as well.  

The two best ways to see dolphins are from above the water and from underwater.  In epic video by AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Offroader 808, he manages to do both.  On a dolphin snorking tour in Oahu, he and a friend split the duties - one filmed the dolphins from above with a drone, and the other from beneath the waves with a waterproof action camera.  He then stitched the feeds together in post-production, creating this cinematic dual view of these intelligent creatures.  

South Africa's Table Bay is so named because it sits in the shadow of Table Mountain, above the great city of Cape Town near the southern tip of the country.  Due to its location very close to the border between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Table Bay has always sported a wide diversity of marine life.  AirVuz contributor and pilot Exclusive Aerials flew a DJI Phantom 4 drone over the bay and created this impressive drone film of whales and dolphins passing through these waters during seasonal migration.  

Dolphins take the center stage in this epic year-end compilation by top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Jaimen.  His creative edit alternates between scenes of dolphins plying the waters of his native Australia with highlights of his other drone footage across Australia  and North America.  The rhythm of the video -  dolphins, British Columbia, dolphins, pink Lake Hillier, dolphins, whales, dolphins,...- is addictive to watch.   As you can appreciate, filming dolphins are difficult animals to film by any other means! 

Known for his exciting and artistic music videos and long, hypnotic edits, top content creator and drone pilot Jaxon_roberts brings us something much simpler but, arguably, intimately more beautiful - a pod of over 50 dolphins swimming through the waters off the Australian coast. The video gives you a sense of serenity, peace and a hopeful perspective. This 45 second piece was shot off the coast of Esperance, in the state of Western Australia.  It's all the more fitting because "esperance" is French for hope. 

The giant state of Western Australia is known for its abundant marine mammal wildlife, among other distinctions.  In this drone video by brand-new AirVuz contributor georgiasf, you'll get a great aerial view of a pod of dolphins frolicking in the warm waters near Esperance.  Located on Australia's southern coast on the Great Australian Bight, Esperance is located about 720 km (around 450 mi.) southeast of the WA state capital in Perth.  Like much of the WA coast, wild dolphins can be found here year-round.  

An aerial view of dozens of dolphins, Manta rays, surfers, and more, that’s what you get in this drone video by top contributor and pilot imoveisbrasilbahia. She’s taken her DJI Mavic 2 Pro out of the Maldives to take in the crystal clear waters that surround the island. If you’ve never seen a Manta ray from above, you need to check this out. The large fish has horn-shaped fins, forward-facing mouths, and long tails. The families of dolphins are also incredible to see from above. 

Top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Inigui is primarily known for his epic aerials of big cities around the world.  In this video, he goes in a different direction: filming dolphins.  He happened to be in Malibua, California (just west of Los Angeles) when he spotted some of these graceful and intelligent sea-creatures.  Having his drone handy, he took it out over the water and the result is this amazing drone video of a group of dolphins frolicking in the amazingly calm waters of the Pacific Ocean.  

Dolphins are one of the most difficult animals to capture in photos or on videos.  Fortunately, in recent years, drone pilots have been able to film these graceful creatures in their native habitats and in a non-disruptive fashion.  Watch this compilation by AirVūz of the worlds best aerial films of dolphins. The reel includes dolphins having fun bow riding the waves created by this boat, playing with humpback whales, catching big air surfing in Australia, sharing the water with the kayakers in South Africa, and more.