Surf’s up for playful bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Texas
DOLPHINS ARE WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR playfulness, coming together in pods large and small to lark about among the waves. Such behaviour can be observed in many species of dolphin around the world, but if you want to see some truly daring surfing action, check out the bottlenose dolphins of Laguna Madre, off the coast of Texas, USA.
The marine mammals seem to have no fear of the massive supertankers making their way into and out of the Port of Corpus Christi, some of which measure over 300m long and 60m wide. On the contrary, the dolphins appear to use the tankers as their playthings, taking advantage of the waves they create with their enormous bows to hitch a ride.
Scientists can’t explain exactly why dolphins surf, but the general consensus is that they do so purely for the fun of it, whether leaping ahead of ships, congregating in huge numbers off deserted beaches or popping up alongside thrilled human surfers.
MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER
“It angered the tanker captain”
French photographer Michel Denis-Huot shot these dolphins from a motor boat piloted by a woman happy to approach the supertankers. “On the last day I asked her to hold on until the last moment ahead of this ship with very interesting colours,” he says. “Although this angered the tanker captain, I took my last 300mm image and it was the right one!”